A new and exciting world?

A great story on the radio this evening. One of the sports commentators had some friends who were going on a stag do. 14 of them were due to fly out to one of the Balearic islands for the event. They were from all over the UK, and were taking a number of different flights from different airports to get over there. One of them made it.

Eyjafjallajokull is the volcano in Iceland that has closed down North European airspace.  What a wonderful thing nature is.  It’s such a simple way to reduce the number of flights, something anyone with an awareness of the environment, or a house near Heathrow, would like to do permanently.

I love flying.  Unlike some people I know I find the process of taking off (and landing, although not to the same extent) a magical, exciting experience.  But I haven’t flown for some time now, and having to fly to far away customer sites was one of the many reasons why I left the office.  Aeroplanes produce many many times more CO2 per traveller than most other forms of transport do, as well as reducing air quality and increasing noise pollution.  Furthermore, the CO2 released by planes is at least TWICE as effective at trapping the Sun’s heat due to the altitude at which it is being released at. For a comparison in CO2 levels take a look at this site comparing plane journeys with Eurostar.

Wouldn’t it be great if this event made people realise that there are alternatives to flying – video conferencing, holidaying in the country you live in, buying local produce, travelling by rail (with an improved infrastructure, if the right party gets elected).

Another story I heard on the radio was of a retired couple, living in Spain, complaining that they were finding it difficult to get back to the UK to see their family. The presenter quite rightly pointed out that they’d hardly put their family top of their list of priorities when they’d decided to move to another country.

So, maybe exciting changes are afoot. There is a chance that this election might see the formation of a government that does care for the environment. And, maybe nature is starting to get it’s own back.

Ok, here are a couple of pictures from the last couple of days. I’ll sort out more when I get time.