Airlines announce “sneaky” greenwash carbon pledge
by David Masters
The aviation industry has pledged to slash carbon dioxide emissions in half over the next 40 years. The agreement between airlines, airports, and aircraft manufacturers will see emissions cut 50% compared to 2005 levels by 2050. Announcing the plans, Willa Walsh, British Airways chief executive, said the agreement was the chance for airlines to "rectify" their decision to opt out of the Kyoto protocol. Environmental campaigners welcomed the scheme, but pointed to its ...
Activists dump horse dung on Jeremy Clarkson’s doorstep
by David Masters
Climate change activists this week dumped a cartload of manure outside Jeremy Clarkson's home in protest of his attitude to the environment. The seven protesters from direct action group Climate Rush were dressed as suffragettes and stood by the manure pile with a banner reading "This is what you're landing us in". The activists said they were being as ""blasé" about dumping manure as Top Gear presenter Clarkson is about carbon emissions. "I'm ...
Public transport key to fighting global warming
by David Masters
Taking the bus or train is second only to recycling as the most popular way to combat climate change, a YouGov study has found. Around a third of those polled by YouGov said they'd consider using public transport more to help the environment, compared to 80% who said they'd be happy to recycling more. One in five would be willing to cut back on overseas holidays, while a similar number (22%) would ...
Boris recruits Kelly Brook to promote London’s Skyride
by David Masters
Mayor of London Boris Johnson teamed up with actress and model Kelly Brook this week to launch what is expected to be London's biggest ever mass participation cycle day. Skyride will see 10 miles of London's busiest streets closed to motor traffic on 20 September in a bid to get Londoners on their bikes. The route will cover Trafalgar Square, St James's Park, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, and the Embankment. Festival ...
Green traffic lights across London
by David Masters
Transport for London has announced plans to install energy saving LEDs in 3,500 of the capital's traffic lights. The £2.4 million move will cut energy consumption by around 60%, saving TfL an estimated £200,000 per year in fuel bills. The LEDs will replace 3,500 lamps at 300 junctions in the capital. As well as reducing its fuel bills, TfL said it aims to encourage businesses and homes across the UK to adopt LED ...
Christian Aid: Biofuels are eco-scandal
by David Masters
Biofuels, once hailed as an environmental saviour, are driving deforestation and exacerbating global poverty, a report by social justice charity Christian Aid claimed this week. Billions of dollars invested in biofuels as subsidies from the US and the EU have proved "disastrous", the charity said in its new report, 'Growing Pains'. This support for biofuels has prompted drastic increases in global "hunger, severe human rights abuses and environmental destruction," Christian Aid said. Biofuels ...
High-speed rail: London-Birmingham in 50 minutes
by David Masters
Domestic flights are to be replaced by a high-speed rail network under new plans announced by the government. Ministers said the 250mph trains, which are at least a decade away, will have clear environmental benefits. The network will cut journey times from London-Birmingham by 40%, from 85 minutes to under 50 minutes. However, green groups warned that ticket prices must be kept low if domestic travellers are to be weaned off their addition ...
Peak Oil by 2020 warns IEA
by David Masters
The world will hit peak oil within the next decade, a leading energy analyst claimed this week. Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency, said the majority of global oil reserves will likely be used up by 2020. In an interview with the Independent, Birol said an IEA survey of 800 oil fields found that most of the biggest fields have already peaked. Oil production in these fields is declining at ...
Petrol: £6 per litre by 2040
by David Masters
Petrol prices are set to hit $20 per gallon (£3.13 per litre) within a generation, American journalist Chris Steiner has predicted in groundbreaking a new book. Taking into account that we pay higher fuel tax in the UK compared to the US, this is equivalent to £6.21 per litre at current tax rates. In '$20 per gallon', Steiner predicts that as petrol prices soar, people's lifestyles will be forced to change drastically. Within ...
Low-cost rail travel ‘complicated’
by David Masters
Britain's complicated network of rail companies are fares makes it difficult to get hold of low-cost train tickets, an industry watchdog said this week. London TravelWatch, which represents the interests of public transport users in the capital, said many long-distance travelers miss out on the best deals because they have to be booked weeks in advance. "With long-distance fares, it is more of a problem in that you have to book ahead ...
Scottish business pledges to reduce number of flights taken
by Alan Harten
Four major companies that operate out of Scotland and one public body from Scotland committed to cutting the amount of flights they take in the next five years by a fifth earlier in the week in an effort to reduce their carbon footprints. Included in the companies who will participate in what is designated as the WWF’s ‘One in Five Challenge’ are Premiere Global, Marks & Spencer, Vodafone UK, CapGemini, and ...
Smart eco driving hits the road
by Alan Harten
Smart have released a new initiative towards environmentally friendly driving called ‘smart eco driving’ that is aimed alongside the release of the Forctwo CDI which is currently the most eco friendly car on any production line due to its very low CO2 emissions. The new ‘smart eco driving’ initiative is designed to educate drivers on smarter driving techniques to help cut back on CO2 emissions while saving drivers fuel costs at ...
São Paulo premieres hydrogen-powered eco-bus
by David Masters
Commuters in São Paulo could soon find themselves riding to work on a hydrogen powered eco-bus. The region's first hydrogen-powered bus - which runs silently and does not produce a single gram of pollution - was launched on the streets of São Paulo this week as part of a two month pilot scheme. With nearly half of the city's 18 million inhabitants riding the bus every day, the initiative has huge potential ...
Can UK lead electric car market?
by Alan Harten
Later this year a few major car manufacturers and automotive suppliers will start a trial of new electric hybrids to see how the environmental vehicles translate in the real world once they are put through an everyday performance test. The hope is that the trial will help the UK see how the electric cars meet public expectations so that the UK can become a leader in reducing carbon emissions. Public ...
Fleet of electric cabs about to hit the road
by Alan Harten
Allied, a taxi company is going to use an Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator car that was developed in the Technology Strategy Board in Glasgow. The development of the car was a joint effort by Scottish Power, Strathclyde University, the Glasgow City Council, and Axeon. Managing director of Allied Paul Nelson commented that this is an exciting opportunity for the taxi company and that they hope it will help build the foundation ...
NY plans bird cull against air disasters
by Alan Harten
Bird strikes became a household phrase after a pilot was forced to land a large passenger plane into the Hudson River in New York, in the early part of spring, however most people are unaware of just how common bird strikes are. In fact, bird strikes having been growing more common in the last several years as the USA federal aviation authority reports show that in 1990 there were only 1,750 ...
Blackpool’s trams given £100m makeover
by David Masters
Blackpool's seafront tram system is to be given a £100 million makeover. Funding has been secured to bring the 120-year old line up to modern standards, the Department for Transport (DfT) said. Sixteen new trams, replacement track, and extra stops will speed up journey times and make the tramway accessible to more people. Transport minister Sadiq Khan unveiled the refurbishment plans this week – one of his first tasks since he was promoted ...
AA tells eco-conscious commuters to car share
by David Masters
Hitchhikers fed up with standing by the roadside for hours as hundreds of cars zoom by will be heartened to discover that one in four of the passing drivers actually think about stopping to pick them up. A recent poll by the AA found that just three in four drivers would never give a hitchhiker a lift. Twenty three percent of men said they would stop if they were going in the ...
“Superhighways” announced for London’s cyclists
by David Masters
Two of London's 12 proposed Cycle Superhighways were unveiled this week by Mayor Boris Johnson. Cyclists will have priority on the two routes, which will provide “safe, direct and continuous” cycling access to central London from South Wimbledon and Barking. Transport for London (TfL) is putting together plans for a total of 12 cycle superhighways, each of which will cover a route of between 10km and 15km, and run on a combination of ...
Ecotricity founder builds wind-powered supercar
by David Masters
Dale Vince, founder of green electricity provider Ecotricity, last October set himself the challenge of building a wind-powered supercar. Vince, a self-confessed “petrol-head and treehugger” (he acknowledges the contradiction), says he set himself the mission to prove that people can still have fun whilst reducing their carbon footprint. He set out to create an “out and out sports car” powered on renewable electricity produced by wind turbines. Vince describes the car he was ...