Several hundred activists have set up temporary home near the village of Harlington, close to Heathrow, in a tented village called the "Camp for Climate Action."

"We would like to come to a common understanding about carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft," said Captain Mervyn Granshaw, chairman of the BALPA trade union.

"In our recent report ... we laid out the facts that aircraft are minor polluters, that air travel is not the fastest-growing source of emissions and that most flights, compared with other transport modes, are green.

"The eco-warriors and some environmental groups disagree. We would like to meet them to try to reach a consensus, to have an informed debate."

Demonstrators are taking part in a week of protests, with some 1,500 people expected to be involved.

Campaigners who claim Heathrow fuels climate change have joined forces with locals opposed to proposals for a third runway at the world's busiest international air hub, citing noise and health concerns.

On Sunday, the demonstrators will stage a "mass action" which "will symbolically mark out the path of the proposed third runway," according to a statement posted on the Camp for Climate Action website.

They also plan to demonstrate at the headquarters of Heathrow airport operator BAA.

A Camp spokesman rejected the BALPA offer for talks.

"We're more than happy to discuss the science of climate change with anybody, but right now we're caught up planning for tomorrow's direct action," said spokesman Ben Healey.

"After the climate change camp is over we will meet them."

He added: "The fact is that government and industry action on climate change is lagging so far behind what the science demands that the time has now come for civil society to engage in civil disobedience -- and that's what will happen tomorrow."

The activists say their presence for a week of "low-impact living, debates, learning skills, and high-impact direct action" is a peaceful protest.

But the police are out in force around the camp. New arrivals have to get through security cordons, are photographed and have their vehicles searched.

On Friday, protestors had glued themselves to Britain's Department of Transport.

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