Sunday 16 February 2014

When will we learn?

Allow me to set the scene ...

My elder daughter, approaching her finals at Glasgow university, can't spare the time to come home at Easter.  So I decide to visit her instead.

I check the fares and discover that it will cost me £122 by train and £65.98 by air.  A no brainer?

Except I opt for the train.

Why?

Well, partly because I love train journeys, especially long ones.  But also because the return journey by train will generate 72 kg of carbon, roughly equivalent to a third of the 231.2 kg produced by the flight, and I firmly believe in the principle of making the change I want to see.  How else can I live?

Our country has just witnessed the worst flooding in decades, widely suspected to be linked to man made climate change.  Politicians of every persuasion declare their commitment to reducing carbon consumption.  And yet those who choose low carbon travel options continue to be financially penalised.

It just doesn't make any sense.

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