The Green Party has hit back at calls by Lichfield’s MP for Birmingham Airport be expanded.
Michael Fabricant made his comments in the wake of the government’s decision to approve a new runway at Heathrow.
The Conservative MP said the region’s increasing links with China and the HS2 development meant Birmingham needed expansion.
But Robert Pass, chair of the Lichfield and Burntwood branch of the Greens, warned that growth in air travel would add to a global problem.
“Mr Fabricant talks about creating jobs in the West Midlands. I agree, but we don’t want jobs that are going to contribute to a climate breakdown nightmare for our grandchildren,” he said.
“It’s no good pretending the climate crisis isn’t happening. We need massive investment in clean renewable energy infrastructure, investment in energy efficiency by insulating homes and investment in public transport to get people and freight onto cleaner forms of transport.
“He’s delusional if he believes we can meet our Climate Change Act commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050 while at the same time building a new runway at Heathrow and expanding Birmingham Airport and Gatwick.
“What planet is he living on? This idea is akin to throwing petrol on a bonfire and hoping for the best.
“He needs to grasp the fact that we are living in a world which is being ravaged by the dangerous belief that we can continue ‘business-as-usual’ with infinite growth on a finite planet, consuming the world’s natural resources at an unsustainable rate and releasing vast amounts of pollution into the atmosphere.”
Mr Pass added that a price needed to be paid for increasing numbers of air travel journeys.
He said: “The Green Party are calling for an escalating tax on frequent flyers.
“Around 70% of all flights are taken by 15% of people. It’s only fair that these people should pay more in tax to help tackle the true cost of flying.
“We should be planning for a world where people fly less, not more.”
