Thread by @UE

Today, at the UK’s High Court, the legal challenges to Heathrow expansion are beginning

It could be a major threat to UK climate targets, so here’s a little tour of our greatest hits on what is already one of the world’s busiest airports...

independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

🛫 👇

First up, the budget for upgrading transport links around the airport. We started digging into it three years ago after the Airports Commission put the price tag at £4.2bn.

But internal docs from TFL revealed they estimated it could cost up to £18bn.

unearthed.greenpeace.org/2016/04/25/inv…

So who’s paying for the (somewhere between £4bn & £18bn) transport budget?

Heathrow said they would pay, but not £18bn. Or £4bn. Just £1bn.
Government said it will cost more & Heathrow would pay.
Heathrow continued to say their budget is £1bn

…

🤔

unearthed.greenpeace.org/2017/02/24/hea…

Next up air pollution.

Two years ago the government released their policy statement on the expansion, which said it would be built within air pollution law.

Simultaneously, they released an independent analysis
It said that might not be possible

🤷🏽‍♀️

unearthed.greenpeace.org/2017/02/02/hea…

Finally - climate change.

It’s perhaps unsurprising the government’s climate change advisors aren’t too chuffed

They told the government higher ✈️ emissions were a very bad idea as they “would place an unreasonably large burden on other sectors”

unearthed.greenpeace.org/2018/06/15/hea…

More surprising is that Theresa May also used to be against it

Actual quote 👇

“An extra 222,000 flights a year would undermine our national [climate] targets & seriously damage the health of the local community”

unearthed.greenpeace.org/2016/10/25/hea…