Sustainable Seaton – Travel and Transport
Greedy, selfish and un-caring – or ignorant to the point of stupidity – which category do you fit into? I am talking about the 95% of the British people who have not moderated their travel and transport habits in the light of information about climate change.
The last thing I want to do is alienate you, dear reader, but overall miles covered by motorized travel is not reducing. CO2 emissions are therefore still rising. If you are one of the 5% of people who care, what can you do? Is zero, or ultra-low carbon transport possible? Yes, so how to achieve it?
About 3½ million years ago our ancestors came down from the trees where they had lived on fruits, shoots, leaves, seeds and nuts. They started to eat roots, more seeds, nuts and in some areas, a few insects. They became gatherers and commonly moved 20 or more miles each day. For more than 3 million years as they spread out and multiplied, the gathering, and in some areas a little hunting, was normal. It is only in the last four thousand years, which is no time at all in evolutionary terms, that we started to live an agricultural lifestyle, staying mainly in one area. Our bodies are therefore adapted to walk long distances every day. Using our legs is an essential part of being a healthy human, just as eating principally fruit, vegetables, seeds and nuts make the healthiest of foods.
So what went wrong? Why have we degenerated into the pathetic state so many in our society are now in? What has happened to result in most people not being able to walk 6 miles, let alone 26.
One simple word – OIL.
Canals were not used as public transport, just the movement of bulky commercial goods. In Victorian times steam trains became the main carriers and this included people who walked, cycled or used a horse-drawn vehicle to get to the station. This involved a bit of exercise, but the rot set in during the first half of the last century when oil-based personal motorized transport became a reality. Door to door convenience and the serious degeneration of about half our society went hand in hand. Tobacco and increased consumption of animal products, combined with a lack of LEG EXERCISE, are at the root of most ill health and premature death. Just one leg has as much muscle as the whole upper body so to get your heart and circulation going properly, for prolonged periods, you must use your legs.
For most people the commute to work is the most logical time to get your exercise. Up to 3 miles each way, walk, 3 to 10 miles, cycle 10 to 20 miles, use an electric-assist cycle. More than 10 use the train, or better, move house – or job. the main reasons people do not make these short trips are:-
|
1. |
They don't want to arrive sweaty; answer – go slower, get better clothing or get electric assisted cycling: |
|
- 2 –
|
|
|
2. |
The need to change clothes; answer – install lockers and washing/changing facilities: |
|
|
|
|
3. |
The concept of danger; answer – it is not nearly as dangerous as not getting the exercise. |
Walking or cycling to the shops – even with babies and young children is another opportunity for exercise. There is a wonderful selection of trailers and "tag along" bikes available.
Let's have a look at developments which are being touted as being "green" or "low carbon" because there is a lot of rubbish being talked by the advertising industry.
|
1. |
Hybrid electric with petrol or diesel:- these achieve a saving against a similar size vehicle of about 10% and do nothing for traffic congestion. A major carbon dioxide cost of a car is just making it and hybrids are worse because they need batteries and replacement batteries every 2-4 years. |
|
|
|
|
2. |
Pure electric cars make significant savings but are just as bad for congestion. The batteries are much bigger and will still need changing every 2-4 years. Overall they might make CO2 savings of about 25%, but we must aim at a minimum of 90% less emissions. This can only be achieved by major mileage reductions, walking, cycling and public transport. |
|
|
|
|
3. |
Hydrogen/fuel cell – same problems as 1 & 2 above and there are not enough of the exotic metals needed for catalysts for this to happen on a big scale. This, of course, is also true of pure electric vehicles if people want the higher range given by much lighter batteries. The availability of lithium, nickel etc. is limited so if we try to use them on a large scale it will put the price into the "unaffordable" range |
|
|
|
|
4. |
Methanol, ethanol and gases from waste materials? We should not have waste materials except perhaps from sewage works and many of them are already using methane to produce electricity. Used deep frying oil from the whole country will just about run the buses in our four capital cities. It should be used, yes, but is small-fry! |
|
|
|
|
5. |
Biofuels:- how can I say this gently – if you are happy to go without food then you can have bio-fuels. Based on existing mileage all – yes all – of the farmland in the U.K. would be needed to run the cars in the U.K. – forget it. |
|
|
|
|
6. |
Two other possibilities for short distances are compressed air and solar charged ultra-light electric vehicles. These are still in their infancy but the key is small and lightweight, so getting away completely from the nonsense of most people using a whacking great one tonne bulk just to move one or two people and a packet of cornflakes. |
- 3 –
So, what about flying – AHA – yes, this is a big question for many people. There is no space here to give you all the reasons to stop so I will just give a couple. Aircraft use about the same fuel per person per mile as a car and you are travelling thousands of miles in a few hours – you work it out! More worrying is the fact that the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide is being emitted at 30,000 feet. This is above most weather systems so they will be up there for 3 to 10 times as long as CO2 at ground level – so up to 10 times as bad for climate change. Please, use your brain, grow up, face reality – STOP.
Legs, living and buying locally, and public transport are therefore the ways to achieve that crucial 90% CO2 reduction. More efficient public transport is possible with trams in all big towns. Elevated monorails are even more efficient and these rail based systems have such low energy needs that they could easily be met by locally based wind, solar or hydro-electricity.
Our society has got into habits which are destructive and poisoning the only place we have to live. If little green men from outer space ever get here to save us, they will only have room for a few on their spaceship. In the meantime – please – change your habits and show the 95% of ignorant or uncaring people that you care about the next generation.
