My brain is on go-slow - I had not thought through the implications of the recent Heathrow court case. Fortunately George Monbiot, among others, has done so. The gist of the argument, just as with Heathrow, is that decisions on major infrastructure projects must take into account the government's policy on climate commitments even though the projects themselves are consistent with existing policy statements in other areas.
Monbiot highlights, for instance, the stupidity of Andrea Leadsom approving the new gas power scheme at Drax saying that the energy policy statement comes first regardless of the resultant climate impacts.
Another example comes from the national policy statement on road networks which insists that "any increase in carbon emission is not a reason to refuse development consent". What??
This government urgently needs to get its policies straight. Climate change is an existential threat. Climate impacts should be the very first consideration when any new project comes forward.
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