Heathrow takes vital step towards carbon neutrality

Heathrow Media Centre – Heathrow takes vital step towards carbon neutrality

• Lancashire nature reserve is first peatland restoration chosen by Heathrow as carbon offsetting project
• Heathrow plans for the airport to be carbon neutral by 2020, and eventually for its infrastructure to be zero carbon by 2050
• Heathrow research into peatland restoration could help UK aviation industry fulfil its international carbon commitments
• Terminal 2 becomes one of world’s first terminals run entirely on renewable energy

Heathrow has announced its investment in a unique project in UK aviation: the restoration of UK peatlands to offset carbon emissions.  Working with the Lancashire Wildlife Trust and DEFRA, Heathrow’s first restoration priority will be Little Woolden Moss, part of Chat Moss which is a larger area of peat bog land, west of Manchester, it has been subject to commercial peat extraction for over 15 years.

The restoration of the UK’s peatland bogs, forms part of Heathrow’s plans to be a carbon neutral airport by 2020. By supporting research into the climate benefits of peatland restoration, Heathrow hopes to show that projects like this will make a good option for airlines’ CORSIA commitments – an international agreement to deliver carbon neutral growth in aviation from 2020.  This pilot project will also help explore opportunities for peatland to deliver cost effective carbon offsetting alongside a range of other benefits including biodiversity, water quality, and flood protection.

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