Thursday 20 October 2022

Sunderland Airshow axed to align with climate goals

Sunderland City Council has announced it will no longer host the Sunderland Airshow, as the “global climate emergency” takes priority.

The council has committed to Sunderland achieving net zero by 2040 and has stated that the event that normally attracts thousands contradicts this aim.

On top of the council’s own desires to hit net zero, it has revealed that local residents concur with this point of view – placing the environment as a top concern in a recent poll.

The airshow produces a high amount of carbon emissions and is therefore no longer a feasible option.

It was last run in 2019 due to the pandemic – but that now seems it will be its last ever run.

Councillor Graeme Miller said: “No one who has witnessed the extreme weather events of recent years, from wildfires and droughts across Europe to the storms and heatwaves we've experienced here this last year, can be in any doubt about the devastating impact that climate change is having on our planet.”