Posts tagged ‘aviation’
Moreland Council questions Melbourne Airport expansion in a climate emergency

On Wednesday night (11 May, 2022) Moreland Council passed a motion authorising a submission to the 2022 Draft Preliminary Melbourne Airport Master Plan and Third Runway Major Development Plan. An amendment changed a rather insipid submission to one that correlated with Moreland’s forward thinking and past resolutions on the climate emergency and advocacy for sustainable transport.
Melbourne Airport are currently collating submissions by 16 May 2022. A report will then be prepared for the Federal Transport Minister to consider the Draft Airport Masterplan and the Major Development Plan and all the feedback. There is an active campaign against expansion of Melbourne Airport.
Some candidates for Wills electorate for the Federal election have answered a question on expansion of Melbourne airport.
(more…)Candidates answer more climate questions in #willsvotes

The people of Wills submitted so many questions and we could only get to a fraction of them during the candidates forum. We then selected a further six questions that had been submitted and sent them to all of the candidates that attended the forum.
Only Leah Horsfall and Sarah Jefford have responded so far – we hope to hear from the other candidates who attended the forum soon (Peter Khalil, Sue Bolton, and Emma Black). You might like to contact them and ask them to respond.
(more…)May 10, 2022 at 5:00 pm morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
Pandemic disruption should cause us to reassess aviation policies and airport expansion
The Management of Virgin Airlines has put the company into administration, due to the impact of the pandemic in reducing need for essential travel, and the huge debt the airline has accumulated. Most Virgin planes are presently sitting at airports, huge stranded assets.
Labort MP for Wills, Peter Khalil, has said in a Facebook Post Labor has been calling on the Morrison Government to Save Virgin. But is this the wisest move given the future for passenger aviation demand in a pandemic with no assurances of a vaccine available and the level of greenhouse gas emissions and climate impact by aviation?
Virgin Airlines is presently owned by Etihad Airways (20.94%), Singapore Airlines (20.09%), Nanshan Group (19.98%), HNA Group (19.82%), Virgin Group (10.42%). Bailing out Virgin is bailing out foreign corporations, some of these owned by other nations.
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Submission to Climate Change Authority – policies necessary to achieve Australia’s commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement
Climate Action Moreland prepared the following submission (PDF) to the Climate Change Authority focussing on three sectors: agriculture, energy (electricity) , and transport. These are key areas for Australia to implement climate policy to achieve reduction in emissions to meet Australia’s commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement. We appreciate the Climate Change Authority collating this information, even though the present conservative government largely ignores the independent advice of this Authority.
Under the Paris Agreement Australia needs to submit a new Nationally Determined Contribution document that outlines all targets and policies to achieve our targets, by early 2020. No backtracking is acceptable (this is written into the agreement as well) This is the ratchet (ambition) mechanism of the Paris Agreement. On current commitments the world is heading for an average temperature rise of between 2.4 degrees to 3.8 degrees Celsius by 2100, as calculated by the Climate Action Tracker website. Australia’s effort is rated as ‘Insufficient’.
Melbourne airport third runway will induce aviation emissions growth
Report of a workshop at Craigieburn with Melbourne Airport Corporation on development of the third runway – main focus was runway will induce more aviation emissions, climate impact, climate damages by Climate Action Moreland Convenor, John Englart.
More climate ambition and Stop Adani a clear message from Wills Climate Forum to Mark Butler and Peter Khalil
Wills Labor MP Peter Khalil finally was able to organise a climate forum for his electorate centred on the City of Moreland, with shadow minister for climate and energy Mark Butler MP attending.
It was clear from the audience questions that although Labor is on the right track with climate policy, many citizens of Moreland think more ambition is needed given the climate crisis and the need for climate emergency planning. This was made clear by the most recent science in the IPCC 1.5C report published in October 2018. Most also want to see a clear statement and commitment to stop the Adani mine, and in fact any new coal or gas projects.
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Coffee and climate action: Lobbying Wills MP Peter Khalil in Pascoe Vale
Saturday morning in Pascoe Vale and Wills MP Peter Khalil caught up to discuss issues with several constituents at the George Jones Eatery (named after Pascoe Vale’s first shopkeeper in 1841)
Climate action was a top priority for the citizens that had come along, although the ALP’s refugee policy was also mentioned.
Jane presented a copy of the IPCC 1.5C report to Peter Khalil, and Climate Action Moreland Convebnor John Englart also presented a copy of The Elephant in the Sky report (PDF) to him on aviation emissions.
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Submission: Melbourne Airport flying blind on aviation emissions danger
Melbourne Airport is planning massive expansion of infrastructure, including new terminals and new and upgraded runways, additional flightpaths, which will induce greater travel demand, increasing the number of flights, and a huge increase in the aviation emissions. But the Masterplan fails to talk about the increase in aviation emissions that expansion will bring about.
Climate Action Moreland has done a hasty, but fairly detailed commentary, on the Melbourne Airport Masterplan. This also justifies our call for a moratorium on Melbourne airport expansion, and the growth mantra that is embedded in the Masterplan document that is at odds with climate science, and the Paris Agreement targets of needing to rapidly reduce emissions.
Call for Moratorium on Melbourne Airport expansion
In September 2018 Climate Action Moreland joined the global Stay Grounded Network in working to limit aviation emissions, as authorised by our monthly meeting.
“We are strongly advocating for a moratorium on expansion of Melbourne airport infrastructure”, said John Englart, Convenor of local climate group Climate Action Moreland.
Melbourne Airport is the main domestic and international airport for the city and is located just to the north of Moreland municipality. The northern suburbs of Moreland are likely to be directly affected by the flight path of a proposed third runway.
“We are very concerned that the growth dynamic embedded within the airline industry and the private Melbourne Airport Corporation, supported by both the Victorian and Federal Governments, will lead directly to a massive increase in flights and an increase in aviation carbon emissions and climate impact.” said John Englart.
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