Showing posts with label virtual conferencing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label virtual conferencing. Show all posts

Needless air travel is killing the poor

    by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

    Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu says that businessmen who take flights rather than use video conferencing are adding to global warming that is condemning millions of the world's poorest people to death.

    The former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town said that developed countries had caused global warming and must therefore take the lead in slashing emissions of climate changing carbon gases.

    The problem with the above is that we have actually no proof, as yet, that humans – whether developed countries or not – have in fact CAUSED global warming. The real jury, not that of the ones with an agenda, is still out on this.

    As much as I respect Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu he is just following the accepted trend – the trend we are all being pushed into – as to “global warming” (the real warming in fact stopped about 7 years ago).

    "It is the countries which are the least responsible for causing climate change that are paying the heaviest price," he said in a video message to a meeting of the World Development Movement lobby group in July 2008.

    "Do not fly in the face of the poor by allowing the emissions produced by endless and unnecessary business flights to keep growing."

    Scientists claim that average global temperatures will rise by between 1.8 and 4.0 degrees Celsius this century due to burning fossil fuels for power and transport. They note that emissions at altitude are many times worse than at ground level. But they completely want to deny the truth that was found in Australia and to which the IPCC had to concede, namely that the temperatures have plateaued out in 2001 and have not risen since.

    Yes, we still have a Climate Change, one that is more or less natural to the Earth, and one that we cannot stop though we may be able to mitigate it. What we, primarily, must do is find ways to live with it and to mitigate its impact.

    That does not mean, however, that we should stop doing all the things to benefit the environment that we are doing presently, from renewable energy, to recycling and video conferencing, and everything in between. On the contrary. We must increase our environmentally beneficial activities and do all those things and more of them.

    We, modern man, have done so much damage to the Earth that anything we can do to mitigate that can only be applauded but... let us stop pretending that we can control the cycles of the Earth and that we have affected that.

    These rising temperatures will cause droughts, floods, crop failures and water shortages, putting millions of lives at risk, the scientists claim. But temperatures, so it was found, have not actually risen even by a fraction, since 2001. So how are the rising?

    Yes, “Climate Change” is for real, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is correct in that, as are all the others, and indeed famine may be increasing as will other phenomena, such as droughts, floods, hurricanes, and such like. But this is due to the fact that the world is warmer and remaining warmer that it has been for a long time.

    In addition to that a lot of it is caused, that is to say that lowering of the water table and also the floods, etc. due to the physical damage that man, including and especially man in Africa, has done to the natural environment there.

    No person in the developed world cut down the trees in the Savannah belt which is leading to the southern advancement of the Sahara, for instance. The Africans did that all by themselves. No one forced Kenya to grow cash crops instead of food. It was a case of exploiting world markets instead. In other words, it is and was greed. The same for the logging in the Amazon and elsewhere in the rainforests. It is fuelled by financial greed.

    "As an African,” Desmond Tutu said, “I urgently call on ordinary people in rich countries to act as global citizens, not as isolated consumers. We must listen to our consciences, and not to governments who speak only about economic markets.”

    Nothing could be more true. And those markets will cease to exists especially if the workers have no food and cannot work the plantations and such. We ravage the Earth in pursuit of a quick buck. Well, the big conglomerates do. Where does that leave the poor and you and me?

    Not only the Africans are the ones that are suffering and that are going to suffer or only those in the developing world. The poorer strata everywhere will suffer, as they do now already with the ever increasing price of oil and gas.

    We must get away from our dependence on oil and gas for heating and electricity. We must embrace renewable, including wood-fired CHP plants on every city block. But, and this is also very important, we must also stop the stupid notion of biofuels from crop plants such as corn, and others. While we have people go hungry we cannot and must not make diesel or ethanol from foods, unless it is food waste and creates methane.

    Transport, whether personal or business, including haulage, must look at new ways and new sources. Electric vehicles must become the norm and such like. NO biofuels that make things even worse.

    With modern technology, aviation, except for airfreight of mail and such, has had its day, to a large degree and, maybe, we should look at a more pleasurable long distance travel once again, that of sea travel, maybe even again under sail.

    © M Smith (Veshengro, July 2008
    <>

Post Title

Needless air travel is killing the poor


Post URL

https://national-grid-news.blogspot.com/2008/07/needless-air-travel-is-killing-poor.html


Visit National-grid-news for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Business across the world urged to avoid flights

    by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

    Technology can replace flying to meetings and conferences and businesses across the world should switch to video conferencing in order to cut emissions from transport.

    That was the recommendation from Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), as he spoke to members of the All-party Parliamentary Sustainable Aviation Group in Westminster, London, UK.

    Can technology really replace flying to conferences and meetings, as Dr Pachauri said?

    Yes, it can, and here at Tatchipen Media, and at the Romani Institute, we have been saying this for years. But did anyone listen? Services, free and premium ones, are available to do just that.

    The Romani Institute, primarily, recommended online meetings and conferences for the Romani organizations as a cost saver and as a means for the poorer Rom to be able to participate as well, via computers.

    Aside from saving all them greenhouse gases, and the unnecessary use of aviation and fuel, businesses can definitely save money having virtual conferences and meetings, and for the latter reason it was that the Romani Institute kept on about it as regards the Romani organizations.

    Appearing live by video conference link to speak to the event, in Westminster, London, Dr Pachauri said reducing business travel would cut aviation emissions.

    In many developed countries, the transport sector represents 40% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

    Although I, personally, still have a problem with calling those emissions “greenhouse gases” and blaming them for the change in climates, the pollution for motorcars and aviation certainly is something that we must do something about.

    However, it is not only developed nations that produce the dangerous fumes from motor vehicles. Many of the developing countries, such as India, the Philippines, Mexico, and others have probably a much greater output of harmful exhaust emissions from motor vehicles as there are not the stringent rules in place that are in the developed nations such as in the European Union and the United States, for instance.

    "One important contributor to this source, Dr Pachauri told MPs, is the growth of civil aviation across the globe."

    "A focused effort to shift business travel for conferences and meetings of all types to video-based communication would be of great benefit in reducing and controlling the growth of emissions from aviation.

    "I therefore endorse the concept and practice of video conferencing as an important substitute for business and conference-related travel in the fight to avoid the worst impacts of climate change."

    WWF are urging businesses to cut one in five flights as part of their One Planet Future campaign.

    A report published by WWF-UK in May claimed 89% of FTSE 350 companies expect to cut flights in the next ten years and 85% see video conferencing as the way to achieve that aim.

    Lord Faulkner of Worcester, chair of the parliamentary group, said: "As Dr Pachauri has said, changing behaviour is vital.

    "Cutting one in five fights, the central theme of the WWF-UK campaign, is an entirely realistic way forward, environmentally and economically. So, too, is taking the train whenever possible."

    "That well-known wartime phrase, 'Is your journey really necessary', is increasingly relevant in the fight against climate change.

    "This slogan definitely has a meaning again in today's world and it spells out what modern socially and environmentally responsible companies must do as a matter of course - question the need for flying whenever there is a practical video conferencing or rail alternative."

    One can now but wonder as to whether the likes of the UN, of which, if I am not mistaken, the IPCC is really a part, also will adhere to this advice and conduct their meetings via video links. Unfortunately, I just cannot see this happening. While the dear Dr Pachauri may have been appearing at that event in Westminster via a video link I just cannot see the United Nations and the European Union taking their own advice and doing this. First and foremost they far too much love their get-togethers and their rather generous travel allowances and secondly they all tell industry and the people in general what to do while they, themselves, continue as it. “Do as I say and not as I do” seems to be the adage again and again.

    Let's hope that this time there may be a difference. Aside from saving all those emissions the money that could be saved from not traveling around the globe for meetings, especially as regards to the governments, the EU and such, might just do nicely for something beneficial. No, not yet another load of studies and reports.

    © M Smith (Veshengro), July 2008

Post Title

Business across the world urged to avoid flights


Post URL

https://national-grid-news.blogspot.com/2008/07/business-across-world-urged-to-avoid.html


Visit National-grid-news for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Popular Posts

My Blog List