Safe Speed Forums

Very topical !

http://www.grumpyoldsod.com/flooding3.asp

"In Essex they are using new types of cars with the apparent intention of tricking motorists in to believing they are broken down by the side of the road, when they are in fact operating a Mobile Speed Trap. "

C-charge hiked for gas-guzzlers

Low-efficiency cars could be hit with a congestion charge of £25 under tough new measures announced by London mayor Ken Livingstone.
Under the plans, which are going out to public consultation, cars which produce larger amounts of CO2 will pay charges above the current £8.

The highest-polluting vehicles account for about 8% of London-registered cars.

Joe Macari, a performance car dealer, said the plans would damage businesses and unjustly penalise the wealthy.

Increasing awareness

Mr Livingstone said the hike was intended to reflect those vehicles "that make the biggest contribution to global warming".

He said: "Londoners are becoming increasingly aware of the need to tackle climate change and this summer's floods were a reminder of the urgency with which we need to reduce CO2 emissions.

"The highest CO2 emitting cars - like some of the so-called Chelsea tractors, high-powered sports cars and luxury executive cars - can produce twice as much carbon dioxide as the kind of car driven by the average Londoner."

Mr Macari, who runs a central London Ferrari and Maserati dealership, said the new charges would amount to an extra £6,500 in yearly motoring costs for many of his customers.

He said: "They're already working harder to afford the things they want to afford, why should they be penalised for being successful?

"I think his personal views are getting in front of what is good for the country, the capital and the people...it's just going to hurt British industry."

The charges would only apply to those driving within the congestion zone, which was recently extended into west London.

Most road users would be unaffected by the new charges and the least polluting vehicles would not have to pay the congestion charge at all.

The vehicles that would fall into the £25-a-day category are those in vehicle excise duty band B and G, which produce 225g of CO2 per kilometre, and vehicles with engines larger than 3,000cc that were registered before March 2001.

A Mori poll conducted for the mayor found 64% of Londoners expect the most polluting cars to pay the highest congestion charges.

Odd how even the British weather experts said there was no way to determine that the floods were linked into global warming

It's no longer a bandwagon or a juggernaut, it's a bloody B52!

That spock esque Milliband mentioned 'climate change deniers' the other day on newsnight.

'climate change deniers'

Man causing climate change - poll

Large majorities in many countries now believe human activity is causing global warming, a BBC World Service poll suggests.
A sizable majority of people agreed that major steps needed to be taken soon to address global warming.

More than 22,000 people were surveyed in 21 countries and the results show a great deal of agreement on the issue.

The survey is published a day after 150 countries met at the United Nations to discuss climate change.

An average of 79% of respondents to the BBC survey agreed that "human activity, including industry and transportation, is a significant cause of climate change".

Nine out of 10 people said action was necessary, with two-thirds of people going further, saying "it is necessary to take major steps starting very soon".

In none of the countries did a majority say no action was necessary to combat climate change.

The survey was conducted by the polling firm Globescan and the Program on International Policy Attitudes (Pipa) at the University of Maryland in the US.

Globescan President Doug Miller said growing awareness of global warming had awoken people's self-interest.

"The impacts of erratic weather on their property, on their person, on their country is tangible and real to people across the world."

He said "the strength of the findings makes it difficult to imagine a more supportive public opinion environment for national leaders to commit to climate action".

'No time'

The survey found widespread support (73% of respondents) for an international agreement to limit emissions of greenhouse gases that would include developing countries.

In return, developing countries would get financial and technological assistance from richer nations.

Only in Egypt, Nigeria and Italy did more people take the position that developing countries should not be expected to limit emissions.

A majority in some of the key developing countries favour limiting emissions in less wealthy countries, including China (68%), Brazil (63%) and Indonesia (54%).

On Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the highest-level UN gathering on climate change that "the time for doubt has passed".

Mr Ban is hoping to inject a sense of urgency to the political negotiations on global warming that are due to be held in Indonesia in December.

"If we do not act now, the impact of climate change will be devastating," he said.

Representatives from about 150 countries, including 80 heads of state or government, were at the meeting, held on the eve of the UN General Assembly.

However, US President George W Bush was not present. Instead, he is hosting a meeting of 16 "major emitter" countries in Washington on Thursday and Friday.

There has been a string of scientific reports in recent months that have pointed to humanity's central role in causing climate change

Just days ago, US scientists confirmed that more Arctic sea ice melted this year than ever before.

Just days ago, US scientists confirmed that more Arctic sea ice melted this year than ever before.