Rethink: should we stop flying?; how can flying be less polluting?
Plans for a second runway at Gatwick airport have recently been given the green light. This follows approval of expansion plans for Luton airport, and positive signals from the government about the long-discussed third runway at Heathrow earlier this year. Gatwick expects annual flights to increase from 280,000 to around 389,000 by the late 2030's, while Luton hopes to almost double annual passenger numbers to 32 million by 2043.
It is entirely unclear how all these flights will be accommodated within the UK's carbon emissions targets.
These two episodes of Rethink from BBC Sounds explore the potential ways in which flying could be made compatible with a low carbon world, from taxes on flying to sustainable aviation fuel. It's useful to understand the pros and cons of each, but it may not come as a surprise that there is no silver bullet.
