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'Make a socially smart decision' [editor's
title]
THE Department of Transport has just published a report titled "Looking over the Horizon" which had clearly been driven by the DoT's concern to play their part in reducing the UK's carbon emissions that will be required if the UK is to be part of the world-wide determination to avert the worst consequences of global warming. The DoT set the challenging target of a 60% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030; the authors of the report conclude this is possible and that there are two main routes to achieving this. The first is by the use of new technology and improvement; the second also uses these measures, but to a lesser extent, making up the short- fall by the "socially smarter" use of the car. This latter route would employ greater use of public transport, better facilities for walking and cycling and greater use of local shopping and community areas. The choice is pretty stark: do we want to become yet more reliant on sophisticated technology or do we want to use our intelligence to enable us make use of our 'God-given' capabilities - to walk, to cycle, to converse with our neighbours and to enjoy our locality. The main facilitator of the "socially smart" solution is your local council; the technology solution would be largely out of the council's hands. If you want Brent to help bring about the "socially smart" solution, and join the company of the undoubtedly high proportion of other councils that will also be doing so, then vote in the local elections in May for the party, or parties, that make it clear we can only rely on technology so far. Brian Orr |
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Letter published in |