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DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) – The world needs an open dialogue about climate change to heal the gap between sceptics and believers since time is running out to cut the emissions that drive global warming, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday. “Time is pressing, so we – the older ones, I am 65 years old – must make sure that we take the impatience of young people positively and constructively,” Merkel told the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. The first two days of the annual Davos gathering were dominated by the back-and-forth between the 73-year-old former businessman Trump and 17-year-oldRead Whole Article

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Martin Hetzel, Medical Director of the Red Cross Hospital, Stuttgart – Germany said: “There is no such thing as a fine particulate disease of the lung or heart, and you don’t come across such a thing as nitrogen dioxide disease of lung or heart in hospital. They don’t exist. Fine particulate matter or NO2 hasn’t caused a single death. These are abstract mathematical models.” “It’s simply not plausible that such small concentrations of NO2 and fine particulate matter would cause the harm and death that are being publicized at the moment.” The Kloster Grafshaft Hospital, a former Benedictine Monastery usedRead Whole Article

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Exclusive new polling carried out on behalf of the Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF) by YouGov has found that when asked about energy policy, the public were sharply divided between those who wanted lower energy bills and those who favoured action on climate change. Asked which of these two priorities the Government should focus on most of all, 45% of people said ‘reducing energy bills for households’ compared to 40% who preferred ‘stronger climate change targets’. Read full post HERE Full Data of the GWPF YouGov Poll: CLICK HERE

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In 2015, the European Environment Agency report on Air Quality in Europe said that 72,000 premature deaths were attributable to Particulate Matter (PMs) and NOx exposure in 2012 across 40 European countries mainly because of exposure to diesel emissions. The EU called these figures ‘A public health emergency’. If the EEA is right, we should be seeing this massive death toll in our hospitals. This huge loss of life should be visible to everybody and we should be hearing about the extra strain put on the doctors, nurses and health services across Europe because of the thousands of these emission-related fatalities.Read Whole Article

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The massive jump in electricity demand, which a wholesale shift to electric vehicle demands, can’t be met with wind turbines. The same campaigners oppose tidal power and nuclear energy. Thus, the power would come from more conventional, fossil fuels. Recent power cuts in August 2019 have shown the fragility of electricity supply. And there’s the thing, it is utterly irresponsible to displace the emissions from, for example, central London to the Midlands. Furthermore, the environment lobby mixes up the difference between local air pollution and global climate change emissions. Ironically, in their demand for cleaner air locally, they have succeededRead Whole Article

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Much has been made of the London Mayor’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ), as a way forward to improve the capital’s air quality. However, the new tax is seen by many as unscientific and unjust. Essentially, ULEZ represents a regressive ‘pay to pollute’ methodology, with an unfairly large effect on the least wealthy, and no effect on those who can afford to pay the ULEZ tax and carry on using their vehicles. Proof London’s ULEZ may not be working to improve air quality is described in depth later in this blog. Shaun Bailey, the Tory London mayoral candidate for 2020,Read Whole Article

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The public are dying in their thousands because of poor air quality, 40,000 to be precise.’ ‘Air pollution kills almost 9 million people every year – which is over 1.6 million more than smoking, research has revealed.’ These headlines are stark and instantly recognisable. But the majority of UK’s 37m road users argue this highly emotive claim is anecdotal, with no real-life cases presented to show a direct causal link to anyone dying from ambient vehicle exhaust emissions. There is one solitary case currently under consideration, involving a girl who already had extremely serious pre-existing health problems, and who hadRead Whole Article

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Media and campaigning activity indicate there is clearly an agenda to try to wipe out carbon based fuelled cars, motorbikes, vans and trucks. The recent frenzied diesel debate and the London Mayor’s Transport Strategy both paint a grim picture for the future of car-based mobility.  By 2041 Sadiq Khan wants 80% of all London journeys to be by public transport, cycling or walking and a zero emission London by 2050. It takes no account of mobility issues that affect the elderly, infirm and disabled. Passenger cars make up 36% of all London journeys and his vision is to reduce thoseRead Whole Article

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In: Driver Politics, Fuel Duty, Vehicle Emissions

In 2018 and repeated in 2019, the award-winning Public Affairs Campaign Group, FairFuelUK conducted the biggest survey in the recent history of transport. 71,098 responded. And what the drivers said is an aide-mémoire for the Government.  90% regard their vehicle as critical to their daily lives with 67% saying they have categorically no choice but to use it every day. Those on significantly below average incomes, less than £20,000, say they have no choice but to spend up to a quarter of their hard-earned cash on petrol and diesel. The emphasis here is ‘we have no choice!’  The persistent demonisationRead Whole Article