Kick the Habit: A UN Guide to Climate Neutrality

they can often be a good alternative, capable of competing on time for distances of up to 800 kilometres or so once you include the time spent getting to and

The boom in air travel

Number of air transport passengers per year (millions)

2 000

1 800

1 600

1 400

1 200

1 000

Other countries

800

?

600

400

United States

200

0

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2004

Sources: World Development Indicators, World Bank online database, 2007; International Civil Aviation Organization, 2006.

In most cases, trains are the preferred option for travelling in the most climate- friendly way. How much they actually save depends on how many people are on the train and what energy source it uses. Trains in Switzerland for example run on electricity from a mix of hydroelectric and nuclear power. In Norway they use 95 per cent hydroelectric power. In France, trains run on nuclear power, as most of the country’s electricity is nuclear-based. Europe has probably the most elaborate transnational train network in the world, but also a wide range of low-cost airlines offering cheap fares and frequent departures to numerous destinations. Apart from the price of a ticket, complicated connections and sometimes unfavourable timetables often put planes ahead in competing for customers. To improve their services seven European high-speed rail operators have founded Railteam with the aim of offering integrated high-speed rail travel between major European cities and competing with airlines on punctuality, pricing and speed. The launch of a consistent ticketing system on a single website is planned for 2009.

THE CYCLE – REDUCE KICK THE HABIT

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