Campaigners staged a protest outside a climate change conference – confronting councillors with a giant inflatable elephant.
Members of Manchester Climate Action turned up to the event, run by Manchester council, to demonstrate against plans to expand the cargo centre at Manchester Airport.
They are angry that emissions from flights have been left out of the council’s climate change action plan – making it the ‘elephant in the room’. Protester Sarah Thomas said: "Having a climate change action plan that ignores the impact of the airport is like having a drink-driving law that ignores the effects of whisky.
"Our concern is that if the council supports the airport in going ahead with its current expansion plans then any emission reduction achieved elsewhere will be outweighed.
"Essentially residents and businesses in the city will be cutting their emissions in order for the airport to increase theirs."
Airport bosses were granted permission last November to knock down two homes on Hasty Lane, near Hale Barns, to make way for an 18,000 sq m cargo hanger.
In February, campaigners ditched a legal challenge against the decision to grant planning permission to the project because they feared they could be landed with a five-figure bill.
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this RANGE ROVER DRIVER says GET A LIFE.
Utter hypocrisy, manchester city council preach at the population about pollution yet they hide the details of the single biggest contributor in the area.
WORST OF ALL THEY HAVE THE MAJORITY SHARE IN AIRPORT.
Shame on you MCC and all the holier than thou councillors.
The council is just following the guiding principle of most greens - do as I say, not as I do.
Maybe if these people went out and got a job, they would appreciate the business the airport brings to the region. Tut
For goodness sake.Will all you do-gooders get a life.I grew up not far from manchester Airport.The planes never bothered me I still live near the airport..My Brother helped get the second runway ready in 1979.Where i work the planes come right over and at 49 they still fascinate me.Why dont the protesters go and scream and shout at 10 Downing Street.NOW THATS A BETTER CAUSE.Leave the Airport alone.BET YOU ALL GO ABROAD THOUGH?David Cameron and co are screwing the British.Yet your more interested in the Airport Hangers!!!!! TUT TUT.
I would have thought that the downturn in freight traffic at Ringway, especially, would have meant that this was not needed, therefore why is it being built? as a general warehouse? of which there are many in the area already.
Has anyone noticed .... that people seem to have stopped saying the phrase "Global warming" and instead have replaced it with "Climate change" !! VERY APT IN THIS WEATHER !!!!
can anyone please tell me the last time protesting worked in this country? get in out of the cold you silly people and stop carrying water in a basket.