Source: Extinction Rebellion
This afternoon, the Court ruled against the expansion of Heathrow airport, effectively grinding the plans to build a third runway to a halt.
This is HUGE news, and represents a massive victory for all Earth protectors, environmentalist agitators, and rebels. If you’re tired and need something concrete to celebrate, this is it. (If you’d like to help keep XR’s work going, you can donate here.)
The last hearing for this case took place during the October Rebellion, meaning that everyone in that courtroom had to travel through seas of rebels to get there. When people show up in their thousands, of all ages and different walks of life, it’s difficult to ignore.
What does this ruling mean?
The Court of Appeal has ruled that the Heathrow development can’t go ahead as planned. It does not comply with or support the UK’s targets to reduce emissions and move towards a sustainable future. The government will accept the court’s decision.
Wow. Let’s stop for a moment and take in this epic historical moment. Business as usual has no future here on this planet.
And, if making an LHR third runway basically illegal weren’t enough, this ruling could have some pretty dramatic ripple effects in our favour.
A case like this could mean that the law starts ruling to protect British citizens from the (as we well know) life-threatening effects of climate and ecological breakdown.
In future decisions about whether high-carbon projects should be given the green light of legality, courts will have to take Paris Agreement commitments into account in a serious way.
If a project can be shown to jeopardise the UK’s chances of reaching our ‘net-zero by 2050’ target or the Paris agreement to keep warming to under 1.5 degrees, it could be deemed illegal.
This is a giant step towards making it illegal for governments or corporations to harm the planet at all. Just imagine the progress we could make if the UK made ecocide a criminal offence!
Today, this landmark victory confirms that we, ordinary people, have the power to bring about change. The carbon economy’s days are numbered.
To help us keep up the pressure on our lawmakers, please support our work. You can become a regular donor or make a one-off donation here.
Thank you to all of you who have already given so much in this fight for justice.
We hope you get a chance to take a rest, take it in, and celebrate this remarkable achievement, and that victories like these make it all worth it.
A shower of gratitude and jubilant high-fives to the incredible humans at Plan B, one of the groups who took their case to Court. One organiser reflects on what this ruling means:
‘This is an important moment for all of us, and for our young people in particular. Some sanity is finally prevailing.
This outcome has been made possible by all those people who have been working so hard to sound the alarm, whether by taking to the streets or in other ways.
The message is finally getting through.’
You can find loads more info on Plan B’s case, the legal action taken against expanding Heathrow here, and read more reactions from elated rebels here.
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