Fri 28 May 2021
History was made in the Hague district court this week. Judge Larisa Alwin ruled that Shell, one of the world’s biggest oil companies, must cut its emissions by 45% by 2030 relative to 2019 levels. Until Wednesday, courts in the Netherlands, France and Germany had concentrated on holding governments to their commitments under the Paris climate deal of 2015. States were found guilty of denying basic rights to future citizens, triggering more ambitious climate plans. The landmark Hague ruling shows that corporations can now be ordered to comply with the goals of the Paris agreement.

A study into the economic benefits of installing bike paths on key city arteries in Helsinki has found a €3.6 euro gain for every €1 invested in the capital city.
Despite its notoriously cold weather for much of the year, the cycling infrastructure was not only found to be profitable, but also reduced travel times for citizens, according to the Handshake project study.

Almost a decade after the idea of adding electric bikes to the capital’s fleet of hire bicycles was first mooted, Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that e-bikes will finally be introduced to the Santander Cycles

Damian Carrington
A new app that tracks bug splats on car number plates will enable UK citizen scientists to help shed light on the worrying decline of insects.
Older drivers will remember scrubbing large numbers of splatted insects from windscreens after journeys in past decades. But a 2019 study that analysed car registration plates after trips in Kent found a 50% fall in splatted bugs compared with 2004.

We’re already making our voices heard:

• MPs and Peers from across the political spectrum came along to our campaign bus to talk about why the way forward is public transport

• We put up ads at Westminster tube station to ensure that parliamentarians notice our campaign messages

• Hundreds of people have already emailed their MPs about the campaign

And we’ve seen some success: at last, part-time commuters will be able to buy flexible rail season tickets. We’ll be watching closely as more details emerge – it’s vital that the tickets offer a decent discount.

A sustainability and smart city specialist think tank has made a string of policy recommendations, including delivery of London markets by cargo bike, in a bid to enhance public interest in the practicalities of utility cycling versus defaulting to car use.
The 26-page Fare City assessment, authored by architect and former public policy shaper Charles Critchell draws on a body of pre and during Covid research, including the meticulous analysis of cargo bike delivery businesses like PedalMe, which famously employs its own data scientist to develop the firm’s inner city efficiency.