Environment influences on Manchester Airport

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Tom Davies

Manchester Airport currently run a number of committed objectives to try and reduce their impact on the environment. Although they recognise that achieving sustainable development is a demanding task they are determined to find a way of accomplish the tasks they set.

Air Quality

Air quality can be affected by a number of different pollutants that in high concentrations can harm human health. There are many sources of air pollution at the Airport, such as staff and passenger cars, aircraft, operational vehicles and heating plant.

Therefore, in relation to air quality, Manchester Airport has set an objective stating that they ‘will continue to reduce air quality and related emissions’.

The main sources of Airport emissions of NO2 are aircraft and road traffic. Road traffic, from nearby roads and motorways makes a significant contribution to the air quality around the airport.

In order to protect human health, the European Commission and UK Government (Air Quality Strategy) have set air quality limits in ambient air that must not be exceeded. Limits have been set for 9 pollutants, and some pollutants have short-term limit, such as 1 hour, and a long-term limit, such as a year. Therefore, the Airport has had to calculate and modelled perspective NO2 emissions in order to see whether the limit is being broken.

The short-term limit value for NO2 is not exceeded at the Airport. The long-term limit value for NO2 is 40µgm-3 measured as an annual average and is exceeded in some areas of the Airport site.’

Source: Manchester Airport Air Quality Report 2008

Therefore, the are in a joint scheme with Manchester City Council, which has an air quality monitoring station, situated on the airport boundary, called Manchester South which records and monitors pollutants such as NO2 and Sulphur Dioxide. This is an aid to help the Airport make sure they are not exceeding pollutant levels and are continually achieving their objective. In addition to this they made a commitment in their environment plan that they would purchase a PM2.6 monitoring station for Manchester South, by 2010, however, this target was completed during 2008 as it was purchased and is now up and running.

The have also tried to reduce emissions the Airport gives off by introducing a ‘Smart’ electric car on a 3-year lease. By using this vehicle, they will be able to decide in which areas of their business they are able to use electric vehicles. Although they have a restricted driving range and 8 hour charging times they produce no on site emissions and produce less carbon dioxide per kilometre. This idea of thought was carried on through 2009, where the Airport organised an electrical car open day, which allowed managers and service partners to be shown what vehicles could now be used. Parallel to this they have decided to carry out a series of initiatives and events to raise awareness around green driving techniques.

Climate Change

Manchester Airport are also aware of the affects they have on climate change, and have stated that they will continue to reduce emissions of Carbon

Dioxide, (CO2). And have set an aim of being carbon neutral for energy use and fuel by 2015.

They have based this on the principles of reducing their need for energy, then using that energy as efficiently as possible, moving to renewable energy sources and finally, off-setting any remaining emissions. Their commitment also applies to the CO2 emissions arising from our energy use and operational vehicles.

In relation to fuel, their combined heat and power station –at Terminal 2 reached the end of its economic life in March 2007 and was closed. Consequently, their gas use (and oil) has decreased but this has been compensated for by a rise in their imported electricity. 2008 is the first full year without the CHP operating.

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Renewable electricity comes from sources such as wind turbines and hydroelectric power stations. Manchester Airport has been increasing the amount of electricity they buy from renewable sources, via a green tariff from our supplier, since 2004. They buy electricity for their own use and for all service partners’ buildings and facilities at the Airport. Renewable electricity costs them a premium to buy. For reporting purposes, the amount of renewable electricity bought is split between MAG and the service partners that they buy and supply electricity for.

In 2008 Manchester Airport purchased, for the Airport site, 28% of ...

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