By Max Lindberg •
April 4, 2008
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It’s the first time a plane powered by a hydrogen cell has left the ground with a pilot at the controls. Boeing said there’s still a lot to do before hydrogen fuel cells will power commercial airliners. As the technology progresses, Boeing says traditional jet fuel will be phased out as renewable sources take its place.
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By Pem Charnley •
February 24, 2008
What’s that in the sky. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s biofuel.
I’m never that sure about Sir Richard Branson. (Why is he a knight? Knights save maidens, atop steeds, in shiny metal suits, the backdrop a castle with billowing flags and things. Knights don’t run record labels. Ah, he signed the Sex Pistols. I take it all back.)
Hang on a moment. The Pistols fought the establishment. Their sarcasm on God Save the Queen is legendary. Knighthoods are provided by the queen. You see?
I’m not that keen on biofuels either. A mixed blessing isn’t good enough, when we have the winds, tides and sunlight to power our future.
By Mark Seall •
February 4, 2008
The conclusion of our planes, trains and automobiles race across Europe. (Read Part II)
With the Green Team finally on their way towards England, the Blue Team about to miss the boat and the Red team fuming in traffic the competition is heating up.
16:40 – Red Team, M3, South of London
After almost an hour of solid traffic we’re moving again, but its slow going. The frustration of hours of endless queuing and shuffling around is now starting to take its toll. The heavy dose of air fresher that was obviously applied to the interior of my hire-car is starting to succumb to the natural odours of its previous occupant, which does nothing for my mood.
17:10 – Blue Team, Port of Calais, France
Sipping afternoon tea in the Club Lounge on P&O Ferries’ Pride of Dover as we set sail for England. I made the ferry with seconds to spare and I’m some way behind the Reds, but it’s not over yet. Time to enjoy the one hour crossing and have a break from driving.
17:34 – Green Team, Channel Tunnel
Making real progress now as the Eurostar enters the channel tunnel. In under an hour we’ll be in London and we’re catching up with the Red Team. Somewhere on the water above us the Blue team are slowly streaming across the channel whilst we speed through the tunnel – that feels good.
By Mark Seall •
February 2, 2008
Part II of our planes, trains and automobiles race across Europe. (Read Part I)
With the Red Team grounded in Zürich whilst our eco-racers make their way steadily through France things are looking bleak for air travel.
11.45 - Red Team, Zürich Airport (still)
Finally I am sitting in seat 27B, sandwiched between a large gentleman and a fidgety young boy. To my mounting frustration the captain apologizes for the delay in boarding due to bad weather on the inbound flight from London this morning, and tells us that we won’t be taking off for another 45 minutes due to air traffic congestion – a common problem on this route, which will get worse as passenger numbers increase.
12.00 - Blue Team, Somewhere in Eastern France
The scenery in this part of the country is fantastic with the Autoroute representing a roller coaster, rising and falling through the hills, twisting and turning through meadows and forests with dramatic cliffs in the background. For the driving enthusiast this is a treat.
By Mark Seall •
January 31, 2008
High speed trains, jet engines, or solid German engineering? What gets you there faster, in more style and with less stress? There is only one way to find out.
Air travel is widely regarded as the bad boy of the green world, yet it is essential for many of us who must regularly travel due to work, family or other commitments. Therefore the airplane is frequently seen as the only option for international travel.
However, airlines in Europe are coming under increasing pressure from the train as a viable means of long distance travel. In France and Germany the TGV and ICE rail networks are providing stiff competition to airlines on many routes, offering reduced check-in, security and boarding formalities, fewer delays and direct connections between city centres.
Travelling at speeds in excess of 300kmh, these services are encroaching on what has until now been the plane’s primary advantage – speed. Recent upgrades to the Paris to London Eurostar service bring the journey time down to little over 2 hours, and passengers generate less than 1 tenth of the Co2 than they would travelling by air.
But just how realistic is the rail alternative in practice? And how does it stack up against that icon of the industrial age, the automobile? The only way to find out is to pit each against the other in a head to head race across the continent.
Depending on whom you ask, emissions from air travel make up 2-6 percent of the planet’s total CO2 emissions (as a whole, the transportation sector makes up about a quarter of those emissions). But airlines in particular have been getting a bad rap among some in the environmental community because of it, and a recent conference of European airline industries debated how to brighten their image.
One British strategic communications firm argued that the airline
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