Climate change

In the UK, aviation accounts for around 6% of CO₂ emissions, compared to 2% globally. The UK Committee on Climate Change estimates that the UK can accommodate a 60% growth in aviation while continuing to meet national emissions reduction targets.

We believe the aviation industry can continue to grow and plays its role in tackling climate change, through:

• Technological advances
• Low-carbon fuels
• More efficient operations
• Emissions trading – initially at a European level, and then globally.

Heathrow's carbon footprint includes emissions from activities which we control as well as those we only guide and influence.

The report Towards a Sustainable Heathrow – A Focus on Climate Change describes how we manage Heathrow’s carbon footprint, which includes emissions associated with:

• The energy and fuel used to operate buildings and our airport vehicles
• Aircraft movements on the ground, staff travel to and from the airport, and third party vehicles
• Aircraft up to 3,000 feet during the landing and take off cycle (aligning with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s guidance) and passenger travel to and from the airport.

As Heathrow's owners, we are directly responsible for around 15% of Heathrow's carbon footprint, mainly from electricity and gas use, as well as fuel used in vehicles that we own.

We control these emissions by making new facilities as efficient as possible, sourcing more renewable power and encouraging staff to save energy.

We guide the emissions of others at Heathrow by supporting employees to travel to work by public transport and encouraging car sharing, as well as working with Heathrow's airlines to reduce emissions from their airside vehicles and landside vehicles and aircraft moving on the ground.

We influence emissions associated with Heathrow by investing in public transport links and through our membership of industry groups that advocate aviation’s fair and equitable inclusion in an international climate change deal.

We have achieved accreditation to the UK’s Carbon Trust standard as well as accreditation to ACI-Europe’s Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme, Optimal Level. These schemes recognise the robust programmes we have established to measure, control, guide and influence carbon emissions across the airport.

Our emissions (that we control) have been verified by the Carbon Trust standard. Despite opening Terminal 5 in 2008, we have been able to demonstrate a reduction in the relative carbon emissions we control over a three year period.

Our strategy

We manage Heathrow’s climate change emissions through the following objectives.

1. Establish a robust climate change performance management framework for Heathrow

Key actions

1. Maintain Airport Carbon Accreditation
2. Establish Heathrow’s climate change adaptation risks and develop an adaptation response plan.

2. Control CO₂ emissions from infrastructure and assets for which we are financially responsible

Goal: Reduce CO₂ emissions from energy by 34% in 2020 and 80% in 2050, compared with 1990 levels..

2011 target:

Reduce absolute site CO₂ emissions to 330,367 tonnes through improvements in energy efficiency.

Key actions

1. Deliver energy saving actions consistent with Heathrow's energy strategy.
2. Maintain certification to the Carbon Trust Standard.
3. Review and implement opportunities for photovoltaic cell and other renewable technology across Heathrow campus to take advantage of government subsidies (eg feed in tariffs).

3. Guide CO₂ emissions from activities that are local to the airport through our policies, contracts and operating procedures

Key actions

1. Develop a long-term low carbon surface access strategy for staff transport.

4. Influence CO₂ emissions from activities that are addressed by national/international policy

Key actions

1. Work with Heathrow's noise and air quality teams to establish operating procedures that reduce emissions from landing and departing aircraft.
2. Work with the Aviation Global Deal Group to develop international aviation climate change policy that seeks to ensure aviation's fair and equitable inclusion in a future international climate change deal.
3. Continue to develop policy proposals that ensures aviation’s global emissions are included in  a future UNFCCC global agreement on climate change to replace Kyoto.
4. Develop a long-term low carbon surface access strategy for passenger and freight transport.

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