So COP26 has finished with the inevitable disappointment, that I suspect we all knew it would. Getting the world to agree on anything is difficult, self- interest will always trump collective progress. Fossil fuels just need to stop now. Stop burning them right away and that part of the problem ceases. If you keep giving nations time to phase fossil fuel out by this year or that year is a waste of time, they will always find a way of reneging on any agreement, safe in the knowledge that they cannot be forced or made to stop! None of us know whether climate change is a long term problem or a temporary blip in the Earths history. We do know that we have created in a very short time span an enormous problem, which if we do not change our ways will damage our home beyond its ability to recover.
I drove my petrol car to Stratford, yesterday, about 60 miles there and 60 back, naturally thousands of vehicles were on the roads and Stratford itself was heaving. It would be interesting to know how much C02 emissions were being pumped out in the midlands area?
Wendy and I often look at the alternate train fares, especially as Kettering Station is at the bottom of our road (our road is Station rd). The calculation is between the cost of the train ticket and how much fuel you would use to travel to the same destination. For instance to travel to London by train can cost up to £40 each return. My car would use less fuel than that I can park for free and use the underground. The train would save me driving and take us into central London, so it has its advantages but if it were just a little less expensive there would be no debate!
We know that we have let the car become all embracing when it comes to travel, even short distances. Our public transport has become woefully underinvested and the service is poor and does not offer a positive alternative. Car ownership is not just about getting form a to b, I would be the first to admit that I just like cars, always have since I was a small boy. I like them for many reasons and not just speed or convenance. So disabusing people from using their cars so much, is not just about driving them, it is so much more than that!
Stay well
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