[lokken]

Well you might argue that one of the big problems with Heathrow isn't the lack of runways, it's the piss poor infrastructure it possesses for an airport of its supposed stature. Apart from T5 they all need replacing and cater for the extra security checks that are now in place after they were built. Never mind the fact that this airport while connected to the road and rail network, is near inaccessible to anywhere that isn't London by public transport, which causes far more traffic than it should.

As for the contribution of aviation, it's argued that while it's emissions are indeed a small percentage of overall emissions, release of CO2 at that altitude has the potential to be far more damaging (i have no idea where i've read this or if its true). I agree there's some hysteria about this though.

Really the biggest controversy is that it appears that the decision was made before the whole process started and that really, the whole planning process is a bit of a shambles.