Climate Advisers Say Airlines Must Pay for Carbon Removal If Heathrow Expands

Heathrow airport should be permitted to expand only if airlines are required to pay for the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, according to the UK government's official climate advisers.

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) said that building a third runway and new terminals at Heathrow, an option favoured by some within government, would breach the UK's carbon budgets under current policies, according to the committee.

The CCC stated that such expansion would make reaching the UK's legally binding target of net zero emissions by 2050 impossible unless the aviation industry takes responsibility for cleaning up its emissions, the committee said.

According to the committee's assessment, any decision to allow growth at Heathrow would need to be paired with a requirement for airlines to fund carbon dioxide removal to offset the additional emissions generated by increased flights.

The findings from the government's climate advisers add to the debate over Heathrow's long-discussed expansion plans, which have faced years of political, legal and environmental scrutiny.