Centre for Environmental Rights – Advancing Environmental Rights in South Africa

The Guardian reports in London that the government’s plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport were dealt a blow last week after a high court judge agreed with campaigners that climate change threats had not been taken seriously enough.

In a complex judgment, Lord Justice Carnwath declined to quash the controversial planning proposal but branded the original position adopted in the government’s authorisation as untenable. The judge ordered Whitehall officials to give a formal undertaking that they would carry out a further policy review. The lengthy judgment was hailed as a victory by both the transport department and the coalition of local councils, green groups and residents who had gone to the courts objecting to the plans for a third runway, saying it was inconsistent with government targets to cut carbon emissions.

See the full report in the Guardian here.