August 6, 2024 View all news Parents, grandparents, and other concerned people will launch a new campaign to oppose the expansion of Dublin airport and the plans of the harmful fossil fuelled aviation industry in the times of a climate crisis.The campaign launch event will start at 12 noon on Saturday, 10th of August on Dollymount strand (meeting outside the Happy Out café). The launch event will feature the flying of colourful kites in a striking visual display, with the campaigners demanding that children need “more kites, less flights” if we are to pass on a world to them that is not completely destroyed by runaway climate change. All are welcome to join the launch event and bring their own kites in a family friendly affair. The launch event is being organised by a newly formed campaign group called “Childrens’ Rights Over Flights”, which is supported by Friends of the Earth. Louise O’Leary, spokesperson for the Childrens’ Rights Over Flights group said:“For our children and grandchildren to have the best chance for a safer and healthier future, we know they need every sector to urgently reduce the pollution causing the climate crisis. So it’s astounding that a semi-state body would be trying to do the opposite and massively increase flight traffic and its harmful pollution at Dublin Airport. The DAA’s proposed increase to flights would mean an extra 22%, or approximately 750,000 tonnes, of polluting emissions being pumped into our air. We know the climate crisis is worsening, and with it the outlook for our children as they grow up. Every fraction of a degree of warming and every tonne of polluting emissions we can avoid will reduce harm and suffering, and improve the odds for every child. There must be no increased flights from Dublin Airport.” Aaron Downey of Friends of the Earth said:“Protecting children from harm and giving them the best chance for their future is a most basic shared duty of any society. Right now that means urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors to avoid the worst impacts of climate change as they grow up. The Dublin Airport Authority - a semi-state body, is applying to do the direct opposite via a proposed expansion to increase flight traffic from Dublin Airport. This would mean an extra 22%, or approximately 750,000 tonnes, of greenhouse gas pollution being pumped into our air [1]”. Childrens’ Rights Over Flights are a new campaign group made up of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other concerned people, appalled by the efforts of a semi-state body to propose something so harmful to children’s futures and rights. The group argues that children’s rights - to health, to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, to have their best interests considered, amongst others, have been completely ignored with the DAA’s application [2]. Another member of Childrens’ Rights Over Flights , Celestine O’Reilly, said:“Major airports such as Dublin airport are responsible for a significant level of environmental impact from noise, air quality, traffic, greenhouse gas, and other emissions. Dublin Airport is already the source of the highest greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland [3]. The vast majority of the world does not fly on a frequent basis. Only around 10% of the world flew in 2018 and the wealthiest 1% of flyers contribute to a huge 50% of aviation emissions [4]. A recent study has also highlighted the grave direct health implications of flight pollution for people living near airports, and this is especially concerning for babies and children who have greater vulnerability to health problems caused by air pollution.” [5] [6] [7] In the last few weeks, Ireland’s largest CO2 emitting corporation, Ryanair, has struck out at essential climate action, by advocating ‘flights not bikes’. Aer Lingus have referenced children in the context of increased flights, but only by using them within an emotive argument for extra flights to Lapland being enabled by a lifting of the passenger cap. ‘Childrens’ Rights Over Flights’ wants to present an alternative to the portrayal of the constant expansion of the aviation industry as unquestionably positive, and argue that it is holding back essential climate action and has a damaging impact on the lives of children within Ireland and worldwide. [8] In recent days, UNICEF have warned that climate change is impacting almost every aspect of child health from pregnancy, and have pleaded that children’s rights be centred in more ambitious and rapid climate action efforts “so that current and future generations have the opportunity to survive and thrive.” [9]ENDSNotes[1] https://www.rte.ie/news/upfront/2024/0212/1431886-two-experts-debate-the-dublin-airport-passenger-cap[2] https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/general-comments-and-recommendations/crccgc26-general-comment-no-26-2023-childrens-rights [3] https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/1109/1335140-dublin-airport-largest-polluter-in-ireland-cop27-data/[4] https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesphillipps/2020/11/17/the-wealthy-1-elite-generate-half-of-the-worlds-global-aviation-emissions/[5] https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/airports-planes-particles-air-health-b2568340.html[6] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/14/children-near-amsterdam-airport-inhalers-study[7] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/26/childhood-air-pollution-adult-lung-health-bronchitic-symptoms-study[8] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/09/biggest-fossil-fuel-emissions-shipping-plane-manufacturing[9] https://www.unicef.org/reports/threat-to-progress Categorised in: Friends of the Earth Activism Tagged with: Faster and Fairer Climate Action