tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58443885273035720552024-03-14T11:05:31.836+00:00Random Dumber GeneratorUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2777125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-49484625817819416272024-01-10T06:00:00.001+00:002024-01-10T06:00:00.143+00:00It’s Time To Make Public Transport Free In All Cities
Good public transport is a mark of a city where citizens enjoy a high standard of living. A city with free public transport takes those benefits and amplifies them exponentially. Moving commuters from private cars to public transport reduces both carbon emissions and local air pollution. Making public transport free at the point of use improves social equity and mobility too.&Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-688586559627498862023-12-13T23:03:00.002+00:002023-12-13T23:03:50.738+00:00COP28 agreement was no landmark, just more failure in a flawed process with a history of failureThe 28th Conference of Parties in Dubai, United Arab Emirates concluded on December 12th to almost universal disappointment. Like previous summits, COP28 was aimed at charting an ambitious way forward in the global fight against climate change. Instead, the summit ended in disarray, with conflict between the desire of, mainly oil producing, nations to maintain fossil fuels; and those nations for Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-21561486921476151642023-12-07T12:10:00.001+00:002023-12-07T12:10:27.722+00:00The Looming Shadow: How Global Warming Will Cause Food Scarcity and StarvationGlobal warming is no longer a distant threat; it's a pressing reality impacting every aspect of our lives including the very food on our plates. As temperatures rise and weather patterns become more erratic, the world's food supply faces a growing threat of disruption, leading to potential food shortages in the future.Rising temperatures and extreme weather events like droughts andUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-1718836490327221622023-11-06T11:13:00.001+00:002023-11-06T11:13:16.266+00:00Rising demand and constricted supply - is there a global rice crisis on the way?Rice. Not probably something that you give much thought to as you pick it up from your local supermarket, but in some countries it is a food staple and the only thing keeping populations from mass starvation. The number of people who rely on rice has been increasing as the global population has boomed. So a constriction in supply at a time when demand is at its highest is a real Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-16883538683249923842023-10-13T11:10:00.002+01:002023-10-13T11:10:18.382+01:00How Political Decisions Affect the Environment and Why We Need to Change ThemThe environment is one of the most important issues facing humanity today. It affects our health, our economy, our security, and our future. Despite this, not all political decisions are made with the environment in mind. Some of them are actively harming the environment and contributing to the climate crisis. The Negative Impacts of Political Decisions on the EnvironmentIt isn't hard to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-43745037985341694072023-09-28T02:44:00.001+01:002023-09-28T02:44:21.464+01:00Why new oil fields are bad news for the planet and how you can stop themThe world is facing a climate crisis that threatens the survival of many species and the well-being of millions of people. To avoid the worst impacts of global warming, we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a low-carbon economy. However, some governments are still authorising new oil and gas development, something which is completely incompatible with the need to reach Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-91994750396500109952023-08-05T12:56:00.002+01:002023-08-05T12:56:23.436+01:00Smart cities are necessary as a solution for accelerating urbanisationBuilding a smart city is no longer a dream but a necessity. New technologies are required to ensure that the city of today can be ready for the massive influx of humanity which population growth and urbanisation will combine to deliver. With advancements in technology and the way it is used, it is possible to create more sustainable, efficient, and liveable urban environments.The most Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-81227398448898015822023-07-28T12:36:00.003+01:002023-07-28T12:36:27.522+01:00EU legislation for charging station network allows manufacturers to reduce battery sizes, EV prices and reduces carbon footprintsNew legislation which requires EU members to create charging stations at 60km intervals along the trans-European network has the potential to significantly change the EV market.High prices for EVs are driven by the cost of large batteries, with 50-60kWh packs becoming all too common - and unnecessary. Average European daily mileage is in the range of 30-50km something which would only demandUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-7733307475011816582023-07-03T22:21:00.002+01:002023-07-03T22:21:16.727+01:00Time to start limiting the use of the dirtiest vehiclesThe London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has been somewhat controversial, or more accurately, has upset owners of the dirtiest cars on London's streets and offered several right-wing borough councils the opportunity to attack Mayor Sadiq Kahn by dragging the legislation into court.Aside from this though, it has been a well recieved measure which succeeds in its aim of getting the most polluting Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-23325656807367016082023-06-28T01:58:00.006+01:002023-06-28T01:58:41.002+01:00What if your city targeted clean transport? One city is already thereClean cities come in many forms - Dutch and Danish cities are targeting low carbon travel, especially on bikes; Paris is taking roads away from cars and returning them to people, whilst London is penalising the dirtiest vehicles with penalties and restrictions to improve air quality.Oslo, the capital of Norway, is making in-roads into electrification of all vehicles and not just cars (where the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-63835505042250439072023-06-23T05:56:00.000+01:002023-06-23T05:56:41.916+01:00Why the London ULEZ extension is a major boost to healthThe Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is a scheme that aims to reduce air pollution in London by charging drivers of the most polluting vehicles a daily fee to enter the zone. The ULEZ was launched in April 2019 and covered the same area as the Congestion Charge Zone in central London. However, the ULEZ will soon be expanded to cover a much larger area of greater London. This means that millions of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-51661255540165669882023-06-22T21:40:00.000+01:002023-06-22T21:40:27.030+01:00Global warming is driving extreme weather and food scarcity faster than predictedFor several years now scientists have been warning that global warming will impact our ability to feed a growing population within decades. They were wrong, at least in the timeline they envisaged. The climate crisis is already causing food scarcity in many parts of the world. The World Bank reports that global warming is influencing weather patterns, causing heat waves, heavy rainfall, and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-85216795412105247342023-06-18T11:48:00.000+01:002023-06-18T11:48:20.436+01:00Corruption is now the biggest driver of global warmingThe ongoing failure to take meaningful climate action on the part of governments around the world might just look the most dangerous exhibition of collective incompetence the world has ever seen. If only that were the case. Instead, politicians have put self interest above the public good. There can be no question that those responsible understand the impact of their choices, the science is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-56462957038540053262023-06-17T22:59:00.000+01:002023-06-17T22:59:27.748+01:00Do you know just how much damage the meat on your plate is doing?We know that global warming is one of the most urgent challenges facing humanity today. There is almost universal scientific consensus that human activities are the main drivers of climate change. It is also well established that one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions is animal agriculture.According to a 2018 report by the United Nations, animal agriculture is responsible for Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-71335743256391159622023-06-17T22:58:00.006+01:002023-06-17T22:58:55.331+01:00iPadOS 17 misses just one critical Stage Manager fixEarly releases of iPadOS 17 shows Apple refining Stage Manager, which has been the most important usability update to the iPad since Apple decided to make it more capable of running as a mainstream computer and not just a tablet.Apple has fixed two of the three biggest bugbears with the display manager which allows iPad users to have a more traditional multitasking experience on the tablet. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-1193588837491132502023-06-08T11:43:00.003+01:002023-06-08T11:43:52.141+01:00Wet bulb temperatures are breaching safe levels and the consequences will be tragicWet bulb temperature is a measure of the heat stress experienced by humans due to high temperatures and humidity. It is the lowest temperature that can be achieved through evaporative cooling of a wet surface. It is measured by covering a thermometer’s bulb with a damp cloth. The wet bulb temperature is important metric because there is a threshold beyond which humans are unable to cool their Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-1129625782693481922023-06-03T04:54:00.001+01:002023-06-03T04:54:32.198+01:00Every year more people die on the roads than all Covid deaths everAccording to the World Health Organization, more than 1.3 million people die each year as a result of incidents on our roads. That’s more than all the people who have died of Covid to date (June 2023). Tragically, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years. The victims are mostly pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. These numbers are Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-23915173048467239802023-06-02T11:32:00.005+01:002023-06-02T11:32:52.979+01:00Cities need to change from centres of economic growth to centres of sustainability Cities have long been centers of economic growth, but this has come at a significant cost to the environment. Cities need to change from centers of economic growth to centers of sustainability and the prospect of further urbanisation of the global population means that the change needs to happen quickly, before embedded problems are too difficult to reverse. According to the World Economic Forum,Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-68594239921248640742023-06-01T11:09:00.001+01:002023-06-01T11:09:46.134+01:00How Car Traffic Disrupts Bus Services and Affects ReliabilityTraffic from cars can affect the quality of city bus services. Potential riders reject the bus as a travel option because services can be unreliable. By choosing to travel by car instead they make the problem worse for people who persevere with the healthier and more climate friendly option.Issues arise because buses share roads with cars. This tends to reduce the efficiency of bus travel unless Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-83795311717467121692023-05-30T04:16:00.001+01:002023-05-30T04:16:44.373+01:00The battery in your EV is going to derail Net Zero ambitionsElectric vehicles (EVs) are often seen as a greener alternative to fossil fuel cars, and in use they do allow cars to producer fewer greenhouse gases, but they also have some environmental impacts that aren’t commonly known. The largest of these impacts is related to the production, use and disposal of the lithium-ion batteries that power EVs.Lithium-ion batteries are manufactured using Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-74125711313631291532023-05-21T12:31:00.000+01:002023-05-21T12:31:30.223+01:00Why climate change will bring water shortages to EuropeClimate change is affecting water availability across Europe. Higher temperatures, more frequent and severe droughts, and reduced snowfall are some of the factors which are bringing water scarcity and stress to many regions. These issues will pose serious challenges for agriculture, industry, nature, and human health.Europe has been suffering from severe drought since 2018, depleting surface and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-73496104550751244492023-05-20T14:32:00.001+01:002023-05-20T14:32:18.386+01:00Climate Crisis: Filling Cities With EVs Is Not Going To Make Things Better; Public Transport Is The Right AnswerLondon's new Ultra Low Emissions Zone has come into being, charging drivers an emissions levy for using an older vehicle in the capital. Londoners are now reported to be replacing their vehicles at a much faster rate than the rest of the country.That's not great news. A city full of electric cars is just as congested and unpleasant to live in as one clogged full of polluting cars. The only Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-85814617806325541732023-05-14T13:10:00.003+01:002023-05-14T13:10:19.595+01:00How car-centric culture keeps you poorCar-centric culture is the societal norm that prioritizes car ownership and use above all other forms of transportation. While cars can provide convenience and flexibility, this culture can also have significant financial consequences for individuals and society as a whole. Since the end of the Second World War, urban planners have built their cities, neighbourhoods and national infrastructure onUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-90376796440962682432023-05-09T11:34:00.006+01:002023-05-09T11:34:46.189+01:00Auckland is flooding again - here's why climate change is to blameClimate change is making extreme weather events more frequent and intense around the world, and New Zealand is no exception. Auckland and much of the North Island was hit with severe flooding in January and February of 2023 and these were some of the worst in the city's history, causing widespread damage and disruption. In May the storms brought more flooding, which once more brought disruption Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844388527303572055.post-12615052911601966412023-05-07T11:03:00.000+01:002023-05-07T11:03:05.705+01:00Some retreating glaciers cannot be saved, and urgent action is required to save the restThis is the alarming conclusion of a new study that examined the fate of glaciers around the world. Researchers found that some glaciers have already crossed a tipping point and will disappear completely in the next few decades, regardless of how much we reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These glaciers include those in the Alps, the Himalayas, and Greenland. That outcome is locked in and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0