Hit the road, runway

One of the world’s busiest airports got even busier last week when more than 2,000 people camped out nearby to protest the effects air travel has on the environment.

Calling itself the Camp for Climate Action 2007, the group descended upon London’s Heathrow Airport, which is scheduled to build a new runway. During the nearly weeklong event, campers attended rallies and workshops designed to unite them in the fight against climate change.

The new flight path would cause noise pollution in a region of London previously immune to direct flyovers, and could increase the airport’s number of flights from 480,000 to 800,000 per year, protesters say. In addition, construction of the runway itself will mean the demolition of 700 properties in a neighboring village.