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Despite being on the same side as shady folks like @IEAlondon and @the_TPA, allies against climate chaos (like @TheGreenParty and @ExtinctionR) still oppose HS2...
I'm going to do a little thread of threads explaining why this is really scary 😬
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
I'm going to do a little thread of threads explaining why this is really scary 😬
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
@iealondon @the_tpa @TheGreenParty @ExtinctionR Before we kick off, there is no better explanation of the point of/need for HS2 than @joncstone's recent piece in the @Independent (independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n…) so definitely give that a read first.
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
Next, the bigger picture... Transport is now the UK's biggest source of GHG emissions, and it is still getting worse.
There are lots of underlying reasons for this, but fundamentally it is because too many people/things use road transport.
There are lots of underlying reasons for this, but fundamentally it is because too many people/things use road transport.
Whilst lots of the "people" journeys are short, urban ones that should be shifted from cars to active travel modes (walking/cycling), these efforts would bring more people onto the public transport network too.
It also doesn't fix the "things" journeys - HGVs, in other words.
It also doesn't fix the "things" journeys - HGVs, in other words.
Even a diesel railway emits significantly less eCO2t/t.km than road transport, so a fully-electrified one wipes the floor with road, even if you use electric cars or HGVs.
(Rail electrification isn't happening fast enough, but that's another story...)
(Rail electrification isn't happening fast enough, but that's another story...)
So we need the railways to absorb a hefty amount of traffic, right?
The trouble is, our railways are already reaching their maximum capacity so fare prices remain high and we can't carry more people/stuff anyway.
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
The trouble is, our railways are already reaching their maximum capacity so fare prices remain high and we can't carry more people/stuff anyway.
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
As @joncstone explains in his piece above (this thread does, too), the quickest and cheapest way to create the capacity for more local/regional and freight trains is by building HS2.
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
The "alternatives" to HS2 either don't deliver a step-change in capacity or are more destructive, take longer, cost more, and in all cases we don't have enough engineers to deliver them.
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
But what about the GHG emissions resulting from the construction of HS2? What about all the concrete?
For comparison:
~10 million tCO2e - construction of HS2
140 million tCO2e - annual road transport emissions
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
For comparison:
~10 million tCO2e - construction of HS2
140 million tCO2e - annual road transport emissions
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
Okay, so the construction emissions impact is trivial, but what about the loss of biodiversity? The loss of ancient trees?
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
Don't get me wrong: HS2 will always have local impacts, as any construction project will and we must mitigate these as much as possible.
HOWEVER, the alternatives are either (a) not viable or (b) much worse.
@TheGreenParty need to get real.
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
HOWEVER, the alternatives are either (a) not viable or (b) much worse.
@TheGreenParty need to get real.
#GPConf #GreenWave #whyHS2
@TheGreenParty This isn't about growth for growth's sake; it isn't about "business as usual" - it is about emptying our roads of cars, vans and HGVs, getting our urban spaces and clean air back, and doing our best to reverse the #ClimateEmergency.
That's #whyHS2 🚄💨
#GPConf #GreenWave
That's #whyHS2 🚄💨
#GPConf #GreenWave
