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Liverpool John Lennon Airport emits the same amount of CO2 as Mali’s
total CO2 emissions
EACH year,
flights from Liverpool Airport release as much CO2 into the
atmosphere as the total annual carbon emissions from MalI, the World
Development Movement revealed. Benedict Southworth, director
of the World Development Movement said:- “It is shocking to
learn that the impact on the climate from flights from Liverpool
airport is the same as that of an entire country. Climate change
will hit the poorest countries with drought, flooding, disease and
death. If the government is serious about stopping dangerous climate
change, they must introduce legally binding targets to reduce carbon
emissions in line with the latest science. These can only be met if
the growth of aviation emissions is halted, which at the very least
means scrapping the government’s airport expansion plans.”
The campaigners believe that the government is ignoring the climate
impact of emissions from the UK’s share of international flights.
The World Development Movement points out that, as flights from one
airport alone produce as much CO2 as a whole country, the
government’s targets to cut CO2 will be meaningless if they do not
include emissions from international flights.
The World Development Movement campaign calls for the forthcoming
climate change bill to include:-
* the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping emissions in
the reduction targets
* a target of an 80%
reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 and 40% by 2020
* annual targets for
reduction of CO2 emissions
Top 6 scary climate change facts:-
* 160,000 people are already dying every year from climate change
related diseases
* The aviation
industry is exempt from VAT and fuel taxes – an effective government
subsidy of £10 billion a year
* Flying accounts for
12 per cent of the UK’s contribution to climate change, exceeding
that produced by driving cars or home heating
If effective action isn’t taken:
* Up to 1 billion people in Asia will suffer water shortages as the
Himalayan glaciers melt
* Climate change is
likely to cause more drought in sub-Saharan Africa, where crop
yields are predicted to fall by 50%, leading to further cases of
malnutrition and famine.
* 185 million people
in sub-Saharan Africa could die from climate change related diseases
by the end of the century |
Prêtence-a-Manger
FLASHY Brits
once spent thousands on clothes and cars to flaunt their wealth, the
greatest status symbol of 2007 however is the grub we eat. 56%
of Britons feel their choice of supermarket reflects their social
status, according to a study of 1,631 people by real, honest food
makers, Ginsters.
Forget forking out on Eton and Harrow, according to modern day Brits
the supermarket you shop in is actually a greater status symbol than
your education. As 13% believe that shopping at certain
supermarkets can make you seem richer, the average Briton is
spending almost £260 extra a year to be seen in the right aisles. In
fact, 11% are embarrassed to be seen shopping in certain
supermarkets and 22% feel judged for the food they eat.
Women prove the most superficial shoppers - 9% eat food based on its
packaging over taste and 16% focus their eating habits on the
typical celebrity diet. Similarly, a pretentious 28% would choose to
eat at Gordon Ramsay's or Jamie Oliver's restaurants simply for show
rather than actual cuisine.
Forget the latest Louis Vuitton or Balenciaga, the fashion must-have
of 2007 is the plastic carrier - 42% admit that the right shopping
bag is more eye-catching than any designer handbag. Even
environmentalism is a fashion statement for many Brits as 22%
recycle their cans, bottles and plastic bags simply because it's
considered trendy.
The study also highlights the most pompous foods Brits are
consuming, with caviar claiming the crown. Other perpetrators in
pretension include quails eggs, foie gras and truffles according to
the study.
Top 10 pretentious foods
Caviar
Quails' eggs
Foie gras
Truffles
Ostrich steaks
Snails
Goji berries
Sushi
Trofie pasta
Acai
The French not only shine in the fashion stakes but also dining as
Brits also consider their cuisine the chicest. British food however
trails behind Japanese and Italian in terms of style.
Larry File of Ginsters said:- "From fancy restaurants to
organic shopping to avid recycling, you'd be forgiven for thinking
that Brits' shopping habits have become more sophisticated.
The
truth is we're doing it to improve our image, opting for posher
recipes to keep up with the Olivers or Ramsays.
Surely eating should
be about real, honest ingredients and taste - not about what the
in-crowd says." |
