Abstract

As aviation is celebrated as one of the world's fastest growing industries, with passenger numbers and cargo volumes projected to double in the next 20 years, Plane Truth sounds a note of caution.

In addition to the environmental impact of airport expansion, devouring farmland and wildlife habitats, and aviation's impact of noise and air pollution on communities, Rose Bridger reveals the extraordinary government subsidies for the aviation industry, encompassing government expenditure on infrastructure to tax breaks, all of which serve to support the industry in the face of rising oil prices and global economic downturn. Disavowing 'greenwashing' claims of fuel-efficient aircraft and alternative fuels that will enable growth without climate change, from British Airways to American Airlines, the symbiotic relationship between aviation and the wider socio-economic problems facing humanity is manifest.
'A treasure trove that will shock and surprise with much jaw dropping material about the rapidly expanding and much subsidised world of airports, air travel and freight and their impact on climate change, biofuel demand, and much more'
Geoff Tansey, writer, Joseph Rowntree Visionary for a Just and Peaceful World, Trustee of Food Ethics Council
'The air industry is a huge lobby but Rose Bridger has produced a book that punctures their dangerous lies'
Derek Wall, International coordinator of the Green Party of England and Wales
'A veritable 'vade mecum' of the sins of the aviation industry, with the references all lined up standing at attention. Indeed if the aviation bosses were in court with you as the prosecuting counsel, they would all receive long terms in prison'
Brendon Sewill, author of 'Tangled Wings: Gatwick seen through green-tinted glasses', and chair of the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign
'At the cutting edge of understanding new perspectives on Green economics. A massively helpful contribution to the literature on aviation, and industry in general, giving valuable insight into how we all end up paying for the follies of large industrial concerns and networks'
Miriam Kennet, Director of the Green Economics Institute
'Truly comprehensive in its global perspective and illustrates the stark reality of the impact of the rapid growth in aviation'
Liz Mason, Teaching Fellow in International Business, Leeds University
'There is a lot more at stake in arguments about aviation than appears at first sight. This book is a guide to the wider issues: how airports shape food supply, international trade flows, government bailouts, and the future of the climate'
Prof. Victor Anderson, Global Sustainability Institute, Anglia Ruskin University