They fly, we choke
Fossil Free London demonstration outside the Department for Transport
Saturday 27 July 2024
Green Christian Information Officer, Ruth Jarman, participated in the Fossil Free London demonstration at the Department for Transport which will approve or reject London City Airport’s plans to expand this summer.
The protest was supported by a number of different groups, with speeches from Flight Free UK, Health for Extinction Rebellion, Stay Grounded and Safe Landing, a group of pilots and ex-pilots working for a just transition through the managed decline of the airline industry.
Ali from Possible talked proudly of Possible‘s court case against the Dept for Transport’s airport expansion plans. “We are in the middle of a climate emergency – the last thing London needs is more pollution, more noise, more carbon emissions”.
Anna from Flight Free UK talked about the need for us all to fly less. John, from the Campaign against Climate Change spoke powerfully about the need to stand in solidarity with climate refugees. “The UK has an enormous climate debt from 200 years of burning fossil fuels – we should not be increasing our emissions at all.”
Kush, from Health for Extinction Rebellion, started with a story from his University days. When dissecting the dirty, black lungs of a cadaver his tutor asked why he thought they were in such a bad state. He responded that the person must have been a smoker. No, replied the tutor, he had simply lived in London all his life. Although air pollution has improved since last century, the improvement is not equal across the country. Nationally only 2.5% of deaths are linked to air pollution, whereas in Newham, neighbouring City Airport, the number is three times that. “For health and social equality and for climate justice, City Airport must not expand.”
Ines, from Stay Grounded and Climatimo in Portugal, said, “The only green plane is a grounded plane… We need to say an unrelenting and unwavering ‘no’ to airport expansion, not in London, not anywhere in a burning world.”
And, finally, here’s a video of Tyrone Scott from War on Want, speaking powerfully about climate justice.
Next: Press release: Green Christian responds to Just Stop Oil’s protests
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