ADDING UP THE CARBON BENEFITS OF RAIL

The article by Toby Balson (BSj 10/07) rightly draws attention to the substantial effect of air travel on personal carbon emissions. He says that switching to rail would reduce emissions by more than 50%.

This may be an understatement. Sources

I have seen quote savings of 80-90%, depending on assumptions made. For instance, Mayer Hillman’s How We Can Save the Planet (p148) quotes a figure of 21% emissions for rail compared with air, George Monbiot in Heat (p180) gives 8.1%, and the Tyndall Centre’s report Living with a carbon budget” (p41) gives 13% for rail compared with domestic flights or 23% compared with international flights. Long-distance road coaches can be lower still.

With regard to energy use from one’s house, may I point out that anybody (though not at present everybody) can have zero emissions from their electricity use by taking a renewable energy tariff.

Some suppliers simply separate out their customers to allocate to a green tariff the 6.7% renewable energy they are obliged by government to provide, while others such as Good Energy, which supplies only from renewable sources, have a commitment that goes beyond the legal minimum.

Stephen Kinsella, KCE Energy and Environment

Source

Building Sustainable Design