Was Heathrow Wise to Kill a Runway?

The U.K.’s new coalition government has canceled plans to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport for environmental reasons. However, as The Engineer points out, the “third runway should in theory make air travel in the U.K. more efficient and produce less emissions” due to less delays and “circling” while planes wait to land. (Similarly, free car parking inspires an ungodly amount of traffic and emissions.) Furthermore, air travel is responsible for only six percent of U.K. emissions, which is “nothing in comparison to the wickedly polluting cows and other cud-chewing livestock known as ruminants.” Perhaps a wholesale conversion to ‘roo burgers is in order?[%comments]