The government’s decision to expand Heathrow was last week ruled ‘unlawful’ by the Court of Appeal, on climate change grounds, following successful legal challenges.

This is a massive win for our environment - the court found that the Paris Agreement on climate change had to be taken into account. For years Heathrow bosses have been shouting from the rooftops that expansion is essential for creating jobs and trade opportunities. But research by the New Economics Foundation shows a third runway at Heathrow would just divert investment and job opportunities away from regions outside the South East.

Instead of fixating on planet-wrecking airport expansion projects, it’s time for investment to be directed at creating local green jobs across the UK. It’s a myth that fixing the climate comes at the expense of job creation. Renewable energy, clean transport, and research into sustainable materials all have the potential to create thousands of jobs.

Simon Bowens,

Yorkshire and North East campaign organiser,

Friends of the Earth, London