Biofuels are Not the Answer event -------------- Tuesday 12th May 2009

SEMA hosted an event on Biofuels on with Deepak Rughani and Rachel Boyd from Biofuelwatch.

Rachel Boyd relayed her experience of the effects of agrofuel expansion during her time in Columbia. She discussed the use of bribery and the threats of violence by paramilitaries to push people from their land in order to make way for large-scale mono plantations of fuel crops, rather than subsistence farming for food. She also discussed the cycles of debt that plantation workers fall into as well as the life threatening health hazards of heavy pesticide exposure with little protective clothing.

Deepak Rughani discussed the broader threat that biofuels present in terms of eco-system collapse, especially of the world's main carbon sinks such as in the Amazon. Worryingly, the aviation industry is looking towards biofuels as a way of greenwashing their growth. Deepak cited some test cases from airlines such as Virgin using aircraft fuel from plant matter such as coconuts. He argued that these were little more than publicity stunts given the amount of coconuts that would be needed to run the industry in this way.

Biofuels have already caused rises in world food prices in recent years. Studies show that when we factor in the fossil fuel needed to produce and refine agrofuels, as well as the loss of carbon sinks and potential to absorb, biofuels present little by way of CO2 cuts. If the world continues to pursue this false solution to climate change, it will find itself faced with the threat of eco-system collapse as well as the social injustice of land displacement and world hunger caused by rising food prices. Clearly - biofuels are not the answer.

www.biofuelwatch.org.uk


You can download Deepak's powerpoint presentation 'The Greening of Aviation: Biofuels, the final justification for airport expansion' from the SEMA website soon.

Manchester Airport to become ‘mini-city’

contrails
Originally uploaded by RoseBridger

Manchester Airport Group has announced that Manchester Airport is to be transformed into a ‘mini-city’ with hotels, leisure, entertainment and conference facilities, along with yet more retail outlets. There will be more cargo and logistics facilities like warehouses, and possibly manufacturing. The Airport has purchased 30 acres from Burford Group, a property firm, at a cost of more than £15 million, for development, which will also extend into the surrounding area.

So, what will all these diverse elements have in common? Manchester Airport City is based on established airport centric developments including Schiphol in the Netherlands, where the airport city concept expands the airport’s role as a gigantic landlord. If this is the model for Manchester Airport City, the new facilities will generate revenues for the airport, in the way as the existing retail and car parking facilities. This keeps the landing and navigations fees down for the airlines. The revenues also help fund further aviation infrastructure growth, such as terminals and runways. Tenants are chosen to boost the airport’s passenger numbers and cargo volumes.

Airports around the world aspire to Schiphol Airport’s role as a gigantic landlord, generating 75 per cent of its revenues from non-aeronautical activities. In addition to what the aviation industry sometimes refers to as ‘airport support community’ of related industries, airports around the world generate revenues from a bewildering range of seemingly unrelated functions. This encompasses golf courses (compatible with airports as the grass can be controlled to minimise wildlife and the risk of bird strikes), museums, theme parks and even what might be thought of as civic functions like schools and hospitals. Even though the facilities form part of the airport’s revenue stream, they can be outside the airport fence and appear to be part of the host community.

If Manchester’s ‘airport city’ plans are similar to others around the world, this development could be central to the airport’s growth plans and future financial viability. According to the Manchester Airports Group, the development of Manchester Airport City will help the airport meet its goals of doubling passenger numbers to more than 50 million per year by 2030, and increase cargo volumes from 166,500 tonnes in 2007 to 250,000 tonnes by 2015. Like many airports, Manchester Airport’s business is declining, with passenger numbers falling by nearly 4 per cent in 2008. Cargo volumes have plummeted month after month, with January 2008’s freight volumes 42 per cent less than January 2007.

News contributed by Rose Bridger

Mancester Council - We must grow the Airport to cut emissions

In responding to Friends of the Earth's submission to the Local Development Framework consultation, >Manchester City Council argue that it must grow the Airport in order fund a reduction in CO2 emissions.

"The Friends of the Earth (FOE) alternative option is a low growth scenario but with particular emphasis on restricting growth at the Airport. When considering options for the Core Strategy the validity of a low growth scenario was considered but discounted for the following reasons:-

• Without economic growth the target to reduce CO2 emissions could not be reached. Growth is essential to fund critical infrastructure e.g. renewable energy networks and to ensure innovation and progress in technology together with retrofitting to achieve carbon reduction in existing development."

We at SEMA have been left scratching our heads at this seemingly bizarre conundrum. An expanding airport will mean even more emissions to cut. Surely we can't grow our way out of the problem of climate change? In any case, >the economic growth argument is routinely overstated by the industry. We look forward to more capers of logic from the Council soon.

Save Rose Cottage Petition Handed-In

Over thirty people arrived at the Town Hall on the afternoon of Monday 23rd to voice their opposition.

The campaign describes Rose Cottage as a stunning grade II listed 17th Century dwelling, beautifully maintained by the current tenants, a family of three. It, along with three other properties are situated on the historic "Hasty Lane" on the edge of Manchester Airport.
Nearby is a 300 year old natural pond hosting a colony of great crested newts. It is surrounded by dozens of mature trees and beautifully preserved and balanced ecology. It is an environmental and historical oasis in the midst of heavy modern industry.

The Airport plan to demolish the buildings, fell the trees and concrete over the pond to build two giant air freight cargo units. They argue that the development will be good for the local economy.
A coalition of English Heritage, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit, the Council for British Archaeology, local councillors and residents and others all oppose the plans.

The petition urges Manchester Planning and Highways Committee to reject the airport's application. To find out more, or to sign the petition follow the link below.
Campaign website

Steady State Economics Teach-in

On Wednesday 18th March over 40 people took part in the ‘teach in’ organised by SEMA (Stop Expansion at Manchester Airport). Promotion for the event explained that,
“As the international economy begins to re-articulate itself in light of the recent and ongoing financial crisis, it’s time to look at the alternatives to the growth-for-growths-sake economic model.”
The teach-in aimed to help people challenge the idea that we can have infinite economic growth on a planet of finite resources. Mike Prior began by explaining that Steady State Economics is a moral and social issue, as well as an economic issue, so we shouldn’t allow economists to dominate the discourse on how society is run.

The session itself was broken down into three sections: What is Steady State Economics? What are the social and moral issues that underpin it? Followed by a discussion on what we can do in order to support Steady State Economics.

Prior began by debunking some of the myths that shroud this subject. For example, he was not going to talk about freezing the economy as it is right now. Instead, the concept is about re-thinking the whole system; dealing with areas of dependency like fossil fuels, as well as places that need development, such as poverty stricken areas.
The origins of the Steady State Economic theory lie in ‘sustainability’, which existed as a new economics from the 1980’s. The crux of this theory was that every generation should aim to leave behind the same amount of resources that they consumed for the next generation.
For Steady State Economics to work, we would need a new way to measure the success of a society. The measure of GNP (Gross National Product) is currently highly valued by economists, policy makers and politicians alike, but it fails to measure the happiness and wellbeing of a society.

The New Economics Foundation has a lot more information on the short comings of the GNP measurement. They also propose a host of well-researched indicators that should be taken into account when measuring wellbeing and happiness. These include looking at equality of income or wealth, leisure time enjoyed, stability of relationships and job security.
In Prior’s opinion, you are by definition a Steady State Economist if you make an effort to “develop an economic indicator or set of statistics that enable the wellbeing of a society to be measured in a way that would be useful for policy making, from a local to an international level”.
New Economics Foundation website

Authored by Jenny Nelson-EN4M

Green leader lends weight to Rose Cottage campaign

Green Party leader Dr Caroline Lucas MEP has become the first national party leader to support the campaign to save the historic Rose Cottage in Wythenshawe's Woodhouse Park.

Dr Lucas, who has campaigned nationally and in the European Parliament for an end to airport expansions and a fairer tax regime for the aviation industry, said today:

"Rose Cottage is an important piece of local heritage, but this is definitely not just a local issue. If Manchester airport increases its air freight capacity, Rose Cottage won't be the only casualty. There will be bad consequences in terms of climate change, as well local traffic generation, local air and noise pollution and resulting ill-health effects.

"The airport will talk about jobs, but the truth is that we can create huge numbers of jobs by greening the economy. Manchester and North West England could become major centres, and even leaders, of the green industrial revolution that Britain urgently needs.

"We could fund much of Britain's economic recovery if we stopped giving aviation its billions of pounds of tax breaks every year, and if we made airports and airlines pay the full costs of their pollution.

"And Manchester airport could start by developing a proper sustainable development strategy. That would mean scrapping plans for new air freight facilities - and Rose Cottage would be saved."


Speaking for Manchester Green Party, Withington parliamentary candidate James Alden added:

"It's completely irresponsible of Manchester airport and other airports to keep driving the expansion of the most highly-polluting form of transport when the rest of the world is trying desperately to tackle climate change.

"We need Manchester airport's surpluses to be diverted away from further airport expansion into sustainable industry. That way we could pump money into new industrial sectors like renewable energy that could sustain thousands of jobs in Manchester."