Third Runway? No thanks

Writing in the Times today, Lord Stern of Climate Change is very critical of the government's decision to approve a third Heathrow runway:

...recent decisions - such as approving Heathrow's third runway and a relatively weak green component of the fiscal boost - undermine confidence in the UK's ability to meet its climate change target. It is vital that the Government shows it is credible on the environment.

... big transport decisions, such as the third runway at Heathrow, should be taken only if they make sense in the context of a coherent carbon and transport policy for the UK, and, preferably, for Europe as a whole. I would be surprised if the construction of a third runway at Heathrow passed that test, which will be applied by the Committee on Climate Change by the end of this year. The runway decision should not have been taken before the committee's examination.