Eastbourne Airbourne 'fundamentally undermines' town's 2030 carbon neutral aim says resident

Miles Berkley, of Eversfield Road, believes Airbourne ‘fundamentally undermines’ the town’s aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.

In July 2019 Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) voted to declare a Climate Emergency and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.

More on that here

A study was carried out after the 2019 Bournemouth Airshow by a sustainability charity called Julie’s Bicycle.

It said 7,190 tonnes of carbon dioxide was created from 531,000 visitors, mainly from audience travel.

Read the full study here

Using this study, Mr Berkley said he believed that if 900,000 people attended Airbourne, more than 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide would be created.

He said: “By running the Eastbourne Airshow they are adding to global warming, leaving a toxic legacy for future generations to clear up.”

The Herald put three questions to Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) posed by Mr Berkley:

1. Will EBC carry out an environmental assessment of this year’s event and publish the results?

2. Will EBC carry out a survey of the economic impact on the town because there are clearly ‘winners and losers’ in businesses across the town?

3. Will EBC accelerate other carbon dioxide reduction plans to compensate for the impact of this year’s airshow?

In response, a spokesperson for EBC said: “Tourism is the lifeblood of Eastbourne’s economy and Airbourne is one of many events organised by Eastbourne Borough Council that bring millions of people to the town. They stay in our hotels and guest houses, visit pubs and restaurants and spend money with local retailers.

“In turn, these businesses provide employment for many thousands of residents and make vital contributions to the funding of local public services.

“Alongside our commitment to the tourism sector in Eastbourne, is our unflinching determination to become carbon net zero by 2030.

“We have introduced a raft of policies over recent years and agreed far reaching strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of the council and wider town.

“Most recently, cabinet councillors agreed to investigate the feasibility of replacing the council’s waste vehicles with a new electric fleet to support the ambition to decarbonise these vehicles within the next few years.

“This is just one example of many steps that the council is taking on the journey to deliver Eastbourne Carbon Neutral 2030.”

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