• Luke makes first ‘unboxing’ video
• The government must invest in Green Transport to help fight the Climate Crisis
• Luke thanks Heathrow for sending snacks but says they need to do better in-house

Luke recently received a giftbox from Heathrow Airport and decided to share it’s contents with Plymouth. Contained inside were a variety of snacks including shortbread, crisps and chocolate, as well as lobbying material about long-haul exports. Luke had this to say:

“Whilst the snacks and other gifts were lovely, I think Heathrow needs to work on getting its own strategy right to tackle the Climate Emergency before lobbying MPs by sending them gifts. There are  a number of actions Heathrow can take right now to showcase its commitment to cutting fossil fuel emissions.”

Specifically, Luke called on Heathrow to cut all petrol and diesel cars from the airport site as a first step to going green.

Secondly, Luke argued that Heathrow should be putting pressure on government to invest in transport infrastructure in the South West and other regions so that families going on holiday from Heathrow can get there cheaply without having to drive.

Thirdly, Luke wants to see a serious investment in electric aviation so that families can still enjoy going on holiday whilst working to cut fossil fuel emissions.

Fighting the Climate Emergency requires urgent action, but making flying inaccessible for poorer families will only entrench existing class boundaries and when research suggests that 15% of fliers are responsible for 70% of all UK flights, it’s clear that the best solutions are to encourage frequent fliers to use other transport methods by investing in rail infrastructure.

This is particularly true in the South West where public transport can take over 4 hours to get to Heathrow Airport from the centre of Plymouth, and up to 5 hours from Sutton or Devonport. This is exacerbated by unreliable rail infrastructure which desperately needs investment.

Looking forward, Luke believes Heathrow and the government need to take the Climate Emergency seriously, stop focussing on expansion and start looking towards making the aviation sector green.