The forthcoming total failure of the COP 26 climate change conference- part 1.
7th November 2021.
I write this newsletter in advance of the total failure of the COP 26 climate change conference in Glasgow. It ends on 12th November 2021.
I can tell you here and now it will be a total failure. The reason being the lobbyists will have their way. The Paris Climate Change agreement was a whitewash. If you actually read it, you’ll see that it was much ado about nothing. There were too many get-out clauses.
This is my first of several newsletters showing what we can do. If we all take action then we can knock a bigger dent in greenhouse gas emissions than the politicians ever will. Now there is no need for conflict between big businesses and protecting the environment. In many cases, well organized good quality business practice is sound environmental practice.
Just over ¼ of all UK greenhouse gases come from transportation (1.)
Watch this video to see some simple cost-effective methods to cut transportation-related greenhouse gases.
The walking school bus
Have you ever noticed how much the traffic plummets when the school kids are on holiday? Why not have that all year round? That doesn’t mean that we close the schools!
We set up walking school buses. With a walking school bus 2, sometimes 4, adults go to the first kid’s house, pick them up, they then walk to the next kid’s house, pick them up, and so on and so on until they get to school. It’s reversed on the way home. It cuts traffic congestion, cuts pollution, gets the kids fitter and healthier. What’s not to like?
This 3-minute video explains everything.
Cycling
In Holland cycle lanes are ten a penny but on their roads is a physical partition between the road and the cycle lane. Cycle lanes on the edges of roads are dangerous. Cycling on the edge of a road is incredibly dangerous for 4 reasons.
- If you cycle close to the edge a car can go past you at speed and the wind effect can knock you over.
- There tends to be glass and potholes at the edges of roads.
- If you go past a T-junction and you are on the edge and a car pulls out you’ve had it!
- If you go past a parked car on the edge and someone opens a door you’ve had it.
I would recommend that we paint green lines about 1¼ metres from the kerb on all major roads and ask cyclists to cycle either on it or just to the right. That is much safer for the reasons given above. Car drivers have to slow down and make a real effort to avoid you. Of course, if there are two of you then I would recommend cycling two abreast.
Public transport
The Luxembourg government has made all public transport free to reduce air pollution, congestion and greenhouse gases. It also improves the health of the general public. It’s paid for out of taxes. We should too or at least make it heavily subsidized like the buses used to be in Sheffield.
Up until the early 1980s the buses in Sheffield were heavily subsidized to such an extent that public transport was virtually free. Very few bus fares were more than 10p. Given the failure of the COP 26 Climate change conference to deliver anything of substance we should, as a G7 country, lead by example.
See this 3-minute video about free public transport in Luxembourg
What you can do
Share this article to social media using the icons above
Parents with kids under 10 years old
If you are a parent and you have kids under the age of 10 at school, please ask the school principal to set up walking school buses to and from school like the videos above. This will do more to cut traffic pollution, congestion and transport-related greenhouse gases than most things we can imagine.
Members of the public
Whenever you can cycle, walk or take public transport instead of driving. Remember if you drive then a car costs around £1.50-£2 per mile to drive if you take into account road tax, petrol or diesel, depreciation, wear and tear, servicing and insurance.
If you are in the UK.
If you are in the UK please sign this governmental petition.
Jacob Rees Mogg, the leader of the House of Commons, has said that the only petitions that will be debated in parliament are petitions on the parliamentary petitions website.
Let me explain how these petitions work. If you get 10,000 signatures the government has to respond. If the response is not good enough they can ask for another one. If that isn’t good enough they can summon that minister in for questioning.
I am very good with parliamentary petitions. 4 of them have got a response from the government and I have secured one debate in parliament. I have also brought about a public consultation on halal and slaughter.
Click this link to sign the petition:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/600692/sponsors/new?token=l-oHkylX7KwS1MqGrp6V
My petition:
Make public transport free like it is in Luxembourg
The Luxembourg government has made all public transport free to reduce air pollution, congestion and greenhouse gases. It also improves the health of the general public. It’s paid for out of taxes. We should too or at least make it heavily subsidized like the buses used to be in Sheffield.
Up until the early 1980s the buses in Sheffield were heavily subsidized to such an extent that public transport was virtually free. Very few bus fares were more than 10p. Given the failure of the COP 26 Climate change conference to deliver anything of substance we should, as a G7 country, lead by example.
So please go to https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/600692/sponsors/new?token=l-oHkylX7KwS1MqGrp6V and sign it.
Who am I?
My name is Bond, Dr. James Bond, I am a health and fitness expert and a Sheffield Star fitness columnist. I have also been featured in the Daily Mail. I work with people who want to improve their quality of life- particularly those who want to lose weight. What makes my service different is that I am the only personal fitness trainer in the North of England who is a qualified medical doctor. Therefore I can take on the general public and super high risk cases that other fitness professionals will not dare like this lady, the case of Deborah Fox.
Bibliography.
- 2019 UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions UK Government 2019 UK greenhouse gas emissions: summary (publishing.service.gov.uk)
- Benefits of the Walking School Bus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONgPbqC5coI
- Luxembourg is first country in world to make public transport free https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=712hdZrXa8M
Date Checked 7th November 2011
