Positive Climate Change News

[Jamie in Chile]

Neither 2020 or climate change are topics usually associated with positivity and yet if you combine the two funnily enough you do have a good news story.

I summarized all the good news stories in climate change that I know of that happened in 2020 here:

For once I didn´t even have to spin it to make something about climate change positive - it actually wasn´t a bad year for climate change fight at all. It´s hopeful a tipping point is being reached.

2020 Climate News: A Review – climateideas (wordpress.com)

 

[Jamie in Chile]

Here is something else I wrote about climate change. It is about the relationship between climate change and social norms Changing the Social Contract

 

[Jamie in Chile]

Here is something else I wrote about a carbon fee.
I'd like to invite everyone else to consider supporting a carbon fee as a key part of the fight against climate change: Fee and Dividend: A Key Climate Solution

 

[Lou]

Neither 2020 or climate change are topics usually associated with positivity and yet if you combine the two funnily enough you do have a good news story.

Like when you add two negative numbers together?

 

[Jamie in Chile]

I think you mean multiply two negative numbers together.

-2 x -2 = 4

Something like that

 

[Lou]

I think you mean multiply two negative numbers together.

-2 x -2 = 4

Something like that

Yes. but I meant subtract two negative numbers. (-2) - (-5) = 3

 

[shyvas]

I don't know how this project will work out in a country where 60 yrs old don't automatically get free (inter city, local) buss passes!!

The French government has pledged to cut emissions by 40% in 2030, relative to 1990 levels. The state also said it would contribute capital to airline Air France to improve financials after industry devastation following the coronavirus pandemic.

France bans short-haul flights: Industry reacts

France has banned short-haul domestic flights in favour of trains has received mixed reviews from politicians and the airline industry.

www.airport-technology.com

 

[Jamie in Chile]

I agree with this decision, it's a no brainer. At the start of 2020 we took the train from UK to Southern Spain via Paris and Barcelona and I also took the train from UK to Germany on a business trip. It was great, I loved it.

What I found is that a 9 hour train journey from the UK to north of Germany or Barcelona is really only 2 hours longer than a 2 hour flight.
A 9 hour train might be only 11 hours from the door of your house to the door of a hotel.
A 2 hour flight is actually 9 hours from the door of your house to the door of a hotel when you factor in transport to and from airports, the bus from the parking lot of the airport to the actual airport, that you have to be at the airport 2 hours before the flight, taxi-ing on the runway, waiting for your bags, going through passport control, queuing for taxi.

And the train is (at least in Europe and some of the more developed Asian countries) more enjoyable, more space, easier to get work done and relax. No-one shaking you awake to put your seatbelt on or telling you when you can or can't go to the toilet.

This article says that the "loss of time is limited to 40 minutes". I think that's false. I think the train will be far faster door to door by the time you add in the travel time back and forth to airports outside the city centre and all the waiting around in the airport.

I suspect this is a token measure though, most emissions are probably from longer distance flights, I think we need to put a fee on carbon (as I mentioned in the article above), make all flights more expensive, and return the fee to the people.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

"UK government to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels" "will incorporate the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping emissions for the first time."

UK enshrines new target in law to slash emissions by 78% by 2035

The UK’s sixth Carbon Budget will incorporate the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping emissions for the first time, to bring the UK more than three-quarters of the way to net zero by 2050.

www.gov.uk

This is another for the topic of "Positive climate change news".

It would be better still if they set some policies that would actually achieve this. Hopefully this announcement suggests a willingness to put some actual decent policies in place at some point.

 

[Sax]

The Planet on the Plate: Why Epicurious Left Beef Behind

In an effort to encourage more sustainable cooking, we won't be publishing new beef recipes on Epicurious.

www.epicurious.com