The ministers still to request an opinion on the climate on the expansion of Heathrow

The British government’s climate change consultancy committee said that he had not yet been invited to officially assess how plans to expand Heathrow airport would have an impact on carbon objectives.

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) told the BBC that it would give a view to build a third track in Heathrow if advice was requested.

The government said expansion should not violate the United Kingdom’s legally binding objective to reduce emissions to Net Zero by 2050.

The CCC is held by law to assess whether the objective will be achieved and has been warned several times against the expansion of the airport.

The government said that it evaluated the initial proposals on the expansion of Heathrow and that it was committed to the committee during the process.

Ministers can request ad hoc advice from the CCC on specific policy issues, but are not legal to follow it.

Lord Deben, a former president of the CCC, said that there was “a limited space for aviation growth” without emission reductions.

“If they grant a building permit for Heathrow’s expansion, this inevitably means that there will be fewer opportunities for other airports in Great Britain,” said Lord Deben.

“This must be a reasonable logical decision and the CCC must be involved in the advice.”

Greenpeace UK said there was an obvious need for independent committee experts “to assess the risks and real costs of any expansion”.

“Any attempt at the stages would show a total lack of confidence in the declared position of work concerning the tests of which a new track must pass, and more importantly, miss the legal requirement for the reductions of the carbon in the United Kingdom,” said Droglas Parr, political director of Greenpeace UK.

The CCC also told the BBC that he had not been invited to provide advice on a future expansion of Gatwick airport.

A decision on a second track proposed in Gatwick is expected in the coming weeks after the transport secretary Heidi Alexander said that she had “had the idea of ​​approving” expansion in February.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the Labor government supported plans for a third track in Heathrow in January of this year.

Reeves said Heathrow’s expansion, delayed for decades compared to environmental concerns, “would make Britain the best place connected to the world to do business” and stimulate economic growth.

At the time, the government said that expansion “was to be delivered in accordance with the legal, environmental and climatic obligations of the United Kingdom”.

Heathrow’s expansion has long been opposed by green groups and it should face resistance and probably legal challenges, in particular because of its environmental impact.

In July, the CEO of Heathrow Airport Thomas Woldbye insisted that the expansion proposal was in line with the aviation industry to be clear zero by 2050.

But he recognized that the building permit would only be granted by the government if the legal limits of the emissions were respected.

The government wishes to examine the planning guidelines that will shape its decisions to extend Heathrow, Gatwick and other major airports.

Giving evidence to the deputies this week, the chief economist of the CCC, Dr. James Richardson, said that it was not too late to influence the exam, which has not yet been launched.

But Labor MP Barry Gardiner said he was seriously worried that the CCC “nodded that the government provided aviation.”

He asked why the government did not ask for the CCC advice before announcing his support for Heathrow’s expansion.

The climate change committee gave its latest advice on aviation emissions in the seventh carbon budget.

The budget, published in February, said that the sector can reach zero net thanks to the deployment of sustainable aviation fuel, air aircraft electrification and the management of flight demand growth.

But the Committee suggested limiting the expansion of the airport to reduce emissions and warned that the development of carbon -free aeronautical technologies was “uncertain”.

“The aviation sector must assume responsibility for its emissions reaching Net Zero by 2050,” said the Committee.

“The cost of decarbonization of aviation and the fight against non-CO2 effects should be reflected in the cost of theft.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Transport said: “The government assesses the initial proposals on the expansion of Heathrow – an important step towards unlocking growth, job creation and the supply of a vital national infrastructure to advance our change plan.

“The evaluation of proposals is underway to support the next review of national airport policy declarations, and we are committing the climate change committee throughout this process.

“We have been clear that all the airport enlargement proposals had to demonstrate that they contribute to economic growth, can be delivered in accordance with legally binding climate change commitments in the United Kingdom and meet strict environmental requirements on air quality and sound pollution.”

Additional reports by the BBC Transport Katy Austin correspondent