News from Elsewhere

Smart Cities World – Urban Exchange Podcast – Urban Exchange Episode 2: Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, City of Rotterdam

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Episode 2 of the Urban Exchange podcast welcomes the City of Rotterdam’s Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb as its special guest, as he discusses how to advance urban resilience for climate adaptation with the Resilient Cities Network’s (R-Cities) executive director, Lauren Sorkin.

During the discussion, Mayor Aboutaleb speaks about the challenges facing his city at the moment, the steps he’s taking to face them, and the importance of collaboration in building resilience against them.
Elsewhere, the Mayor speaks specifically about climate resiliency in Rotterdam, describing how cities must continue to innovate to protect against climate stresses, what this looks like in Rotterdam and across the Netherlands, and which examples of climate resilience innovation he finds most impressive.

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Scottish Government presses ahead with A96 dualling plan despite review – transportxtra

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Rhodri Clark18 October 2021
Graeme Dey: ‘We have agreed to conduct a transparent evidence-based review of the programme’
The Scottish Government remains committed to dualling the A96 despite the scheme being under review as part of the cooperation agreement between the SNP and Scottish Green Party.
The A96 connects Aberdeen to Inverness. Draft orders for its £3bn dualling were published in 2016, and the Scottish Government had committed to completing the dualling by 2030. Three of the programme’s four stages are in preparation: Inverness to Nairn, including the Nairn bypass; Hardmuir to Fochabers; and…

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2020) Viewpoint: Cars should come with health warnings – Andrew Simms – BBC Ideas

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Made by Owen Kean, 22 September 2020
Viewpoint: It’s time to end our love affair with cars 4:27

60.9K VIEWS
Author, academic and campaigner Andrew Simms argues we need to rethink our relationship with the car – much as we have done for smoking.
Three pioneers who predicted climate change
Is it time to reassess our relationship with nature?
Watch more viewpoints in our IMHO playlist

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COP26: How the UK started the climate crisis | openDemocracy

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Adam Ramsay 8 October 2021

We do need different machines. But alone they will never solve the problem. In 2020, the number of battery-powered cars driving the world’s roads hit record numbers. This led to a reduction in oil consumption from conventional-sized vehicles of around 40,000 barrels per day on top of the pandemic-related fall, according to the International Energy Agency.

But while some drivers were shifting away from climate-changing commutes, others were going in the opposite direction. A record 42% of new cars sold last year were SUVs. Since 2010, the total number of gas guzzlers has gone from 50 million to 280 million. According to the same IEA report, this trend has wiped out any gains made by eco-aware consumers with their battery-powered engines.
These two trends probably aren’t entirely unrelated. If one group of people buys less petrol, then the price of fuel will fall. And so other people will buy more.

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Our traffic reduction laws don’t work, but a small amendment could change that – Green Alliance blog

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Roger Geffen, policy director at Cycling UK.
The UK government’s recent transport decarbonisation plan (TDP) has had a mixed reception. The consensus seems to be that it contains plenty of positive ideas but that it is very weak on a clear overall direction for the transport sector. Commentators have voiced frustration at its lack of a plan to reduce the demand for travel, so that the UK transport sector can play its part in averting the unfolding climate crisis.
This ambivalence is evident in the secretary of state’s foreword to the plan. At one point he says, “We must make public transport, cycling and walking the natural first choice for all who can take it”. Yet, elsewhere, he says, “It’s not about stopping people doing things: it’s about doing the same things differently … We will still drive on improved roads, but increasingly in zero emission cars.”
This mixed messaging does nothing to help councils, businesses and others know what kind of low carbon future to plan for.

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The advertising industry is fuelling climate disaster, and it’s getting away with it | Andrew Simms | The Guardian

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To confront the climate emergency, the amount we consume needs to drop dramatically. Yet every day we’re told to consume more. We all know about air pollution – but there’s a kind of “brain pollution” produced by advertising that, uncontrolled, fuels overconsumption. And the problem is getting worse.

Advertising is everywhere, so prevalent as to be invisible but with an effect no less insidious than air pollution
The trend towards digital billboards only exposes us ever more. Some big companies even boast about how “unmissable” digital screens are on busy roads, “captivating audiences” when drivers would be better off watching the road. Such roadside “out of home” advertising is set to grow by 25%, in 2021 and evolving advertising technologies that could use facial detection and tracking capabilities only heighten the sense of our privacy being invaded.

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