On Saturday, Extinction Rebellion and GALBA (Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport) took part in a collaborated protest against the Leeds Braford airport terminal expansion plans.
Two groups of cyclists, involved with GALBA, rode the outline of the planned airport’s noise map. The area which would be impacted by the increased noise, stretches to reach Wakefield, Keighley, Bradford, Otley and Leeds.
Climate activist group Extinction Rebellion held an additional protest to support GALBA’s day of action, outside Leeds Art Gallery in the city centre.
The socially-distanced event attracted around 50 protestors to the city centre location.
Extinction Rebellion is an international movement that uses non-violent civil disobedience to demand government action on climate change.
The Extinction Rebellion Families Leeds representative said, “it breaks my heart to see that businesses, corporations and individuals are still putting profit before the health and wellbeing of humans and all life on this planet.”
Construction of the three-floor, 34,000 sq. mt replacement terminal at LBA would provide service to 7 million passengers a year by 2030. If the plans are approved, work will start before the end of 2020.
Hywel Rees, Chief Executive of Leeds Bradford Airport said: “The new terminal design allows a delivery of existing consented capacity in a more efficient way, with a smaller environmental footprint. The replacement building will have a modern, flexible design whilst achieving operational excellence.”
However, according to research from the University of Leeds, extending Leeds Braford Airport would result in an increase of greenhouse gas emissions. The extra pollution caused by the expansion, would exceed the ‘carbon budget’ Leeds City Council has set to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2030.
Extinction Rebellion claim that since March 2019, when Leeds City Council declared a climate emergency, there have been inconsistencies between this announcement and the actions that followed it.
Photographer: Ellie Hodgson