Climate groups take govt to court over Jet Zero strategy

Lawyers at Leigh Day have filed for a judicial review of the initiative, which the Department for Transport released in July, on behalf of each of the groups.

 
The challenge has been brought on the grounds the strategy breaches the Climate Change Act; the secretary of state did not to give lawful reasons for departing from advice given by the Climate Change Committee; and a failure to take account of the need to reduce emissions other than CO2 that are produced by flights.

GALBA’s legal case is also bringing additional grounds which relate to how the strategy will feed into the local planning process for regional airports such as Leeds Bradford.

 
Possible is calling for the introduction of a progressive tax on frequent flying to fairly reduce demand for flights.
 
Alethea Warrington, campaigns manager at climate charity Possible, said: "Aviation is highly polluting and very difficult to decarbonise, making it really dangerous that the government is encouraging huge growth in flights.

"The climate crisis is here now, and the UK is already experiencing record-breaking heatwaves which melted runways this summer."