PLANE STUPID

Published 2011/07/08 at 10:16 am

Rolling out the skills and tactics necessary to deal with increased aviation impacts

Plane Stupid is a nonviolent direct action group opposing aviation expansion. Aviation is the UK’s fastest growing source of greenhouse gasses, yet the government has been planning to expand over 27 airports in the UK. We’ll be using the grant from APE to support grassroots campaigners across the country as they creatively confront the aviation industry.

There has been a dramatic shift in the political landscape around Heathrow’s third runway, with ‘the establishment’ moving into the political space created by Plane Stupid and a broad coalition of partners. The recent Heathrow Judicial Review which ruled the new runway “untenable in law or common sense” has offered hope and impetus to other airport campaigners across the country, but the battle is far from over.

Core to our strategy is working with communities in resisting airport expansion, and strengthing relationships between activists and local campaigners via our ‘Adopt a Resident’ initiative, which is now operating in Heathrow, Clydebank, and Manchester.

Developing a national narrative around regional airport expansion is going to be crucial in consolidating the ground won by the success of Heathrow. A recent report by Airportwatch suggests that by 2050 regional airports could account for 26% – 64% of all UK CO2 emissions. Southend-on-Sea, Manchester and Glasgow are all front line airports that are now working closely with Plane Stupid.

Taking direct action at airports themselves has an immediate impact on carbon emissions. When Plane Stupid shut down Stansted on the 5th December 2008, 23,700 tonnes of CO2 were stopped at source.

Plane Stupid is also keen for folk to get involved in our ‘subvertising’ campaign, which attempts to undermine the perceived market for flights by framing this carbon heavy addiction within the context of the ban on smoking advertising.

With it’s tax breaks and special status for dispensation from carbon target reductions aviation is still an issue which could undermine the rest of the UK’s emissions targets, but it’s also an issue which a growing network of activists are successfully confronting.

Plane Stupid is a nonviolent direct action group opposing aviation expansion. Aviation is the UK’s fastest growing source of greenhouse gasses, yet the government has been planning to expand over 27 airports in the UK. We’ll be using the grant from APE to support grassroots campaigners across the country as they creatively confront the aviation industry.

There has been a dramatic shift in the political landscape around Heathrow’s third runway, with ‘the establishment’ moving into the political space created by Plane Stupid and a broad coalition of partners. The recent Heathrow Judicial Review which ruled the new runway “untenable in law or common sense” has offered hope and impetus to other airport campaigners across the country, but the battle is far from over.

Core to our strategy is working with communities in resisting airport expansion, and strengthing relationships between activists and local campaigners via our ‘Adopt a Resident’ initiative, which is now operating in Heathrow, Clydebank, and Manchester.

Developing a national narrative around regional airport expansion is going to be crucial in consolidating the ground won by the success of Heathrow. A recent report by Airportwatch suggests that by 2050 regional airports could account for 26% – 64% of all UK CO2 emissions. Southend-on-Sea, Manchester and Glasgow are all front line airports that are now working closely with Plane Stupid.

Taking direct action at airports themselves has an immediate impact on carbon emissions. When Plane Stupid shut down Stansted on the 5th December 2008, 23,700 tonnes of CO2 were stopped at source.Plane Stupid is also keen for folk to get involved in our ‘subvertising’ campaign, which attempts to undermine the perceived market for flights by framing this carbon heavy addiction within the context of the ban on smoking advertising.

With it’s tax breaks and special status for dispensation from carbon target reductions aviation is still an issue which could undermine the rest of the UK’s emissions targets, but it’s also an issue which a growing network of activists are successfully confronting.

“In recent months many small local campaigns have suddenly found themselves at the frontline of aviation expansion. The funds which APE have provided to Plane Stupid will give us the capacity to meet new groups on their own turf and terms, thereby allowing an unthreatening introduction to direct action while ensuring in the long term that there is friendly and consistent point of contact to the wider network. Without your support we couldn’t continue to do this. Thank you.”