Another great mapping event from the TimesOnline - here they show how smokers can be map-lighted through online nicotine traces... 'the distribution of smokers across England, showing the areas where people are the most dependent on nicotine, is revealed today as part of a service designed to encourage smokers to quit. An online map compares the proportion of smokers to the level of economic and social deprivation among more than 8,000 electoral wards.
The map, published online by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the anti-smoking pressure group, is based on estimates of smoking rates and a government index measuring deprivation, and indicates a strong correlation between smoking and poverty.'
The maps are available at www.ash.org.uk/html/mappingproject/mappingproject.html
Read article at Map smokes out people hooked on cigarette habit
Even smokers aren't safe now...
Monday, October 09, 2006
Maps and advertising
The TimesOnline has provided a post on online maps and advertising titled 'Mapvertising' which recognises the growth in the use of online maps for navigation:
'You plan your car journeys with MapQuest. You nose around property values through map-based websites such as OnOneMap.com. You even track your favourite celebrities’ movements in almost-real time by logging on to user-annotated mash-ups of Google Maps. So why wouldn’t the ad industry see you as a lost opportunity?
With web traffic to online mapping sites growing by around 20 per cent a year, and 85 per cent of us saying we use them, these sites have become the latest hot properties for marketers. The ad agency Universal McCann calls the emerging trend "mapvertising".'
Of course, target advertising has been growing around us for some time now...
'You plan your car journeys with MapQuest. You nose around property values through map-based websites such as OnOneMap.com. You even track your favourite celebrities’ movements in almost-real time by logging on to user-annotated mash-ups of Google Maps. So why wouldn’t the ad industry see you as a lost opportunity?
With web traffic to online mapping sites growing by around 20 per cent a year, and 85 per cent of us saying we use them, these sites have become the latest hot properties for marketers. The ad agency Universal McCann calls the emerging trend "mapvertising".'
Of course, target advertising has been growing around us for some time now...
Friday, October 06, 2006
Real learning in a virtual world
More from the fascinating developments from the virtual world of Second Life. This time some foresighted educators are moving classes into this virtual world - From The Christian Science Monitor:
'Some 60 schools and universities have set up shop inside Second Life - most in the past year. They join a population that includes real-world business people, politicians, entertainers, and more than 800,000 other "residents" of the virtual world.
For the first time this fall, a Harvard University class is meeting on its own "Berkman Island" within Second Life (SL).
...Some 90 Harvard law and extension school students taking the course, called "CyberOne: Law in the Court of Public Opinion," can receive real college credit. But anyone on earth with a computer connection can also take the course for free. Students are participating from as far away as South Korea and China.'
Via Smartmobs
'Some 60 schools and universities have set up shop inside Second Life - most in the past year. They join a population that includes real-world business people, politicians, entertainers, and more than 800,000 other "residents" of the virtual world.
For the first time this fall, a Harvard University class is meeting on its own "Berkman Island" within Second Life (SL).
...Some 90 Harvard law and extension school students taking the course, called "CyberOne: Law in the Court of Public Opinion," can receive real college credit. But anyone on earth with a computer connection can also take the course for free. Students are participating from as far away as South Korea and China.'
Via Smartmobs
The Future of Migration
Yale Global Online is producing a series of articles on The Future of Migration:
'Immigration is an issue that elicits heated views from all sides of the political and economic spectrum. In the 21st century, how might we expect our lives and societies to be affected by changes in immigration? In Part One of a two-part series, economist Lant Pritchett argues that there are five irresistible forces setting the world up for a new wave of mass migration. Topping the list are the huge cross-national inequalities in wages and standards of living. Differences in labor demand across countries comprise another pressure promoting migration. Population growth imbalances also contribute to the trend, with aging populations of wealthy countries needing younger workers to help support national pension plans. The fourth trend Pritchett points to is the growing interconnectedness of the world. In a system that allows for increased flow of goods, he says, increasing labor flow would enhance global prosperity . Finally, he notes, more and more jobs are not 'mobile', but rather location-specific, like nurses and retail salespeople.'
Read - The Future of Migration - Part One
'Immigration is an issue that elicits heated views from all sides of the political and economic spectrum. In the 21st century, how might we expect our lives and societies to be affected by changes in immigration? In Part One of a two-part series, economist Lant Pritchett argues that there are five irresistible forces setting the world up for a new wave of mass migration. Topping the list are the huge cross-national inequalities in wages and standards of living. Differences in labor demand across countries comprise another pressure promoting migration. Population growth imbalances also contribute to the trend, with aging populations of wealthy countries needing younger workers to help support national pension plans. The fourth trend Pritchett points to is the growing interconnectedness of the world. In a system that allows for increased flow of goods, he says, increasing labor flow would enhance global prosperity . Finally, he notes, more and more jobs are not 'mobile', but rather location-specific, like nurses and retail salespeople.'
Read - The Future of Migration - Part One
Invisible drones
NewScientistTech has a piece on Invisible Drones that talks about a new Phantom Sentinel aircraft that is Y-shaped and... yes - possibly invisible:
'"Persistence of vision" turns the fast-moving rotors of any helicopter into a near-transparent blur, while the slow-moving body looks solid. Inventor Michael Dammar has come up with a way of making the whole body of an aircraft spin as it flies, turning it into a single blur in the sky. This would not evade radar but should help the aircraft avoid visual identification.
The so-called Phantom Sentinel aircraft is Y-shaped, consisting of a single long wing attached to two short aerodynamic extensions which each end in a propeller. And the weight is carefully balanced so that the centre of mass is positioned between the two extensions. When the motors are running, the solid part of the aircraft spins around this centre of mass, and the longer wing generates lift. The whole thing moves so fast that persistence of vision turns it into a single blur.'
Well - more a blur than invisible then...!
'"Persistence of vision" turns the fast-moving rotors of any helicopter into a near-transparent blur, while the slow-moving body looks solid. Inventor Michael Dammar has come up with a way of making the whole body of an aircraft spin as it flies, turning it into a single blur in the sky. This would not evade radar but should help the aircraft avoid visual identification.
The so-called Phantom Sentinel aircraft is Y-shaped, consisting of a single long wing attached to two short aerodynamic extensions which each end in a propeller. And the weight is carefully balanced so that the centre of mass is positioned between the two extensions. When the motors are running, the solid part of the aircraft spins around this centre of mass, and the longer wing generates lift. The whole thing moves so fast that persistence of vision turns it into a single blur.'
Well - more a blur than invisible then...!
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Insurance car tracker will be spy for police
The TimesOnline has a piece today titled 'Insurance car tracker will be spy for police'that tells of how police will be able to tell whether drivers who crash were speeding by checking the black boxes that are to be fitted to thousands of cars by Britain’s biggest insurance company:
'Norwich Union is installing satellite tracking devices to customers’ cars so that it can charge them an insurance fee for each mile they travel. Rather than paying a fixed annual premium, drivers will pay different rates according to when and how far they travel.
Those who drive between midnight and 5am and from 7am to 10am will pay a higher rate because the company has calculated that crashes are more likely to happen during these periods. The system uses satellite positioning to check a car’s location throughout its journey. The information will show how fast a vehicle was travelling before a crash and whether it was accelerating or decelerating. Police will also be able to check a motorist’s behaviour during an entire journey to see whether there is any evidence of speeding or aggressive driving.'
And this is how it starts! Then the Insurance companies will provide the information to state/private databanks and soon other major insurance companies will follow.... very unsettling...
Penn Humanities Forum: Travel in a World of Contradiction
The Penn Humanities Forum: Travel in a World of Contradiction has a series of upcoming events relevant to those interested in mobilities. The calender has the following events for this autumn (or Fall):
October 4 | Colin Thubron
Shadow of the Silk Road
October 11 | Paul Gepts
Global Climate Change and Agriculture
October 25 | Caryl Phillips
Dr. S.T. Lee Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities
Border Crossings
November 1 | Sara Dickinson
Dashkova's Grand Tour
November 15 | Alison Stones
Travel and the Santiago Pilgrimage
December 6 | Joel Garreau
The Santa Fe-ing of America?
October 4 | Colin Thubron
Shadow of the Silk Road
October 11 | Paul Gepts
Global Climate Change and Agriculture
October 25 | Caryl Phillips
Dr. S.T. Lee Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities
Border Crossings
November 1 | Sara Dickinson
Dashkova's Grand Tour
November 15 | Alison Stones
Travel and the Santiago Pilgrimage
December 6 | Joel Garreau
The Santa Fe-ing of America?
New Politics Institute on Mobile Media in 21st Century Politics
The New Politics Institute, a progressive thinktank, has issued a report on Mobile Media in 21st Century Politics (PDF):
'Any majority political movement of the early 21st century will need to connect to the massive young generation of Millennials, and the booming population of Hispanics. Both groups are among the top users of mobile phone media.
The development of mobile media is not going to take place in the distant future. As this report points out, mobile media has already proven to have big political impacts in other countries, and it played a key role in the immigration demonstrations all over the United States this spring. Now is the time for progressive political practitioners to
start to engage this new technology and media. The report ends with seven concrete steps to begin mastering this new world. The very first step, though, is to get an overview of the whole booming field by reading this comprehensive paper. It is filled with startling facts and figures that will help even those who think they understand what is going on:
Did you know that mobile video services already reach more users than the 8th largest cable operator in the country? That by 2008 as many as 30 percent of wireless phone users will not own a land line? (What will political pollsters do?) That last year U2’s Bono got 800,000 people to sign up for the One Campaign to eradicate poverty by sending a text message through their mobile phones at his concerts?'
Via Smartmobs
'Any majority political movement of the early 21st century will need to connect to the massive young generation of Millennials, and the booming population of Hispanics. Both groups are among the top users of mobile phone media.
The development of mobile media is not going to take place in the distant future. As this report points out, mobile media has already proven to have big political impacts in other countries, and it played a key role in the immigration demonstrations all over the United States this spring. Now is the time for progressive political practitioners to
start to engage this new technology and media. The report ends with seven concrete steps to begin mastering this new world. The very first step, though, is to get an overview of the whole booming field by reading this comprehensive paper. It is filled with startling facts and figures that will help even those who think they understand what is going on:
Did you know that mobile video services already reach more users than the 8th largest cable operator in the country? That by 2008 as many as 30 percent of wireless phone users will not own a land line? (What will political pollsters do?) That last year U2’s Bono got 800,000 people to sign up for the One Campaign to eradicate poverty by sending a text message through their mobile phones at his concerts?'
Via Smartmobs
Mobile phones help check drunk driving in Japan
Smartmobs reports on "a mobile phone with a breath analyser is getting popular among transport firms in Japan as it can help the companies conduct tele-checks on the drivers' breath to prevent drunk driving. The system, developed by a major mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo Inc, has been introduced to 15 companies since its launch about three months ago. Dozens more bus and transport companies also mull buying it, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said Sunday. To use it, the driver first makes a video-phone call to his or her company and breathes into the analyzer connected to the phone. The video image showing the driver blowing into the analyzer and data regarding the alcohol concentration on his or her breath are transmitted to the firm and confirmed by the computer there".
Read article at 'Mobile phones help check drunk driving in Japan'
Moving towards self-reflexive safety...
Read article at 'Mobile phones help check drunk driving in Japan'
Moving towards self-reflexive safety...
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
The Future of the Internet II Pew Study
The latest Pew Report titled 'The Future of the Internet II Pew Study' is a survey of internet leaders, activists, and analysts who make predictions for 2020:
'- A low-cost global network will be thriving and creating new opportunities in a “flattening” world.
- Humans will remain in charge of technology, even as more activity is automated and “smart agents” proliferate. However, a significant 42% of survey respondents were pessimistic about humans’ ability to control the technology in the future. This significant majority agreed that dangers and dependencies will grow beyond our ability to stay in charge of technology. This was one of the major surprises in the survey.
- Virtual reality will be compelling enough to enhance worker productivity and also spawn new addiction problems.
- Tech “refuseniks” will emerge as a cultural group characterized by their choice to live off the network. Some will do this as a benign way to limit information overload, while others will commit acts of violence and terror against technology-inspired change.
- People will wittingly and unwittingly disclose more about themselves, gaining some benefits in the process even as they lose some privacy.
- English will be a universal language of global communications, but other languages will not be displaced. Indeed, many felt other languages such as Mandarin, would grow in prominence'
You can read the entire report here as a PDF file.
Via Smartmobs
'- A low-cost global network will be thriving and creating new opportunities in a “flattening” world.
- Humans will remain in charge of technology, even as more activity is automated and “smart agents” proliferate. However, a significant 42% of survey respondents were pessimistic about humans’ ability to control the technology in the future. This significant majority agreed that dangers and dependencies will grow beyond our ability to stay in charge of technology. This was one of the major surprises in the survey.
- Virtual reality will be compelling enough to enhance worker productivity and also spawn new addiction problems.
- Tech “refuseniks” will emerge as a cultural group characterized by their choice to live off the network. Some will do this as a benign way to limit information overload, while others will commit acts of violence and terror against technology-inspired change.
- People will wittingly and unwittingly disclose more about themselves, gaining some benefits in the process even as they lose some privacy.
- English will be a universal language of global communications, but other languages will not be displaced. Indeed, many felt other languages such as Mandarin, would grow in prominence'
You can read the entire report here as a PDF file.
Via Smartmobs
The future of shopping... with your mobile
This RFID in Japan article discusses how mobile phones and RFID tags are being piloted in retail stores:
'NTT DoCoMo recently developed a system that utilizes mobile phones and RFID tags to monitor and infer people's behaviors and deliver relevant information.
The system uses mobile phones that have the RFID reader capability. Those RFID reader phones read tags embedded in retail stores, for example, and the software running on the phones sends out information such as the stores people visited. Then the system infers people's behavirs and deliver information based on the inference results.
The system will be tested at Takashimaya department store in Yokohama, from September 13 till September 26. The system will for example recommend shoppers the next shops to visit or suggest to take a rest etc. (via SMS messages)'
Would you like your phone to suggest to you when to take a rest?! Cheeky...
'NTT DoCoMo recently developed a system that utilizes mobile phones and RFID tags to monitor and infer people's behaviors and deliver relevant information.
The system uses mobile phones that have the RFID reader capability. Those RFID reader phones read tags embedded in retail stores, for example, and the software running on the phones sends out information such as the stores people visited. Then the system infers people's behavirs and deliver information based on the inference results.
The system will be tested at Takashimaya department store in Yokohama, from September 13 till September 26. The system will for example recommend shoppers the next shops to visit or suggest to take a rest etc. (via SMS messages)'
Would you like your phone to suggest to you when to take a rest?! Cheeky...
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
WiFi Active RFID Tag
An article doing the rounds in the Japanese media says:
'Hitachi Ltd. today announced its release of the industry's first AirLocation II Tag-w, a WiFi active RFID tag for wireless LAN position detection and management of people entering and leaving buildings, which also features an emergency message function.The combined features enable thorough and precise management of people entering a building and information about the position of individuals within. In emergencies, the emergency message function allows users to send a message to the control center, automatically informing disaster relief officials of their whereabouts.'
Again, it shows the immersion of these tracking technologies into everyday civil life.
Via Smartmobs
'Hitachi Ltd. today announced its release of the industry's first AirLocation II Tag-w, a WiFi active RFID tag for wireless LAN position detection and management of people entering and leaving buildings, which also features an emergency message function.The combined features enable thorough and precise management of people entering a building and information about the position of individuals within. In emergencies, the emergency message function allows users to send a message to the control center, automatically informing disaster relief officials of their whereabouts.'
Again, it shows the immersion of these tracking technologies into everyday civil life.
Via Smartmobs
The latest 'Carnival of the Mobilists'
This week's Carnival of the Mobilists No 47 is hosted over at Communities Dominate Brands - run by Tomi Ahonen and Alan Moore.
The Carnival of the Mobilists is a weekly collection of the best blogs about mobile telecoms topics, hosted always at a different host site. You can find the schedule for upcoming Carnivals at this site www.mobili.st
The Carnival of the Mobilists is a weekly collection of the best blogs about mobile telecoms topics, hosted always at a different host site. You can find the schedule for upcoming Carnivals at this site www.mobili.st
Drive with Upstairs Connections
LabConfidential has a post titledDrive with Upstairs Connections (flashplayer required)where they talk about the developing trend in motor positioning systems:
'This is your GPS with the motoring news--Imagine what it would be like to drive a car that knows the way and every short-cut and also finds a way around each and every traffic jam. Any car equipped with a satellite navigation system will comply with the first two requests, whereas the third one does seem to call for a sixth sense, or some sort of arrangement with the man upstairs -- or does it? Next year we shall namely see Dash Navigation Inc. launching the first GPS unit ever to retrieve real-time traffic data from the Net, and this should smooth the path to your destination.'
Worth a quick read...
'This is your GPS with the motoring news--Imagine what it would be like to drive a car that knows the way and every short-cut and also finds a way around each and every traffic jam. Any car equipped with a satellite navigation system will comply with the first two requests, whereas the third one does seem to call for a sixth sense, or some sort of arrangement with the man upstairs -- or does it? Next year we shall namely see Dash Navigation Inc. launching the first GPS unit ever to retrieve real-time traffic data from the Net, and this should smooth the path to your destination.'
Worth a quick read...
Poverty Atlas
Cartography discusses a Poverty Atlas:
'The Center for International Earth Science Information Network has released an atlas entitled Where the Poor Are: An Atlas of Poverty. The atlas, available as a pdf download, covers a number of aspects of poverty including infnat mortality, hunger, poverty gaps and inequality and looks at these factors on both a global, regional and national scale, the latter being broken down by subnational jurisdictions to varying degrees of refinement. The maps are mostly choropleth maps. The atlas can also be requested in hard copy format.'
Read more
'The Center for International Earth Science Information Network has released an atlas entitled Where the Poor Are: An Atlas of Poverty. The atlas, available as a pdf download, covers a number of aspects of poverty including infnat mortality, hunger, poverty gaps and inequality and looks at these factors on both a global, regional and national scale, the latter being broken down by subnational jurisdictions to varying degrees of refinement. The maps are mostly choropleth maps. The atlas can also be requested in hard copy format.'
Read more
Digital Planet October 2 2006
This week's Digital Planet sees Gareth Mitchell finding out more about e-waste and what is being done to safely dispose of the vast amounts of technological rubbish that's produced when making the latest gadgets. And Jonathan Kent investigates how Microsoft is making Windows Vista more secure. James Gordon tells us about the latest innovations unveiled at the NextFest exhibition in New York and Jon Stewart tries to Skype the programme from Dubai, without much success.
Download here
Download here
Monday, October 02, 2006
Overclocking the City,
Worldchanging reports on the recent Breaking the Game conference thatexplored the ways in which technology is transforming urbanity or "overclocking the city":
'"[A]n emerging group of artists [is] deploying sensors, hand-held electronics, and faster Internet connections are developing projects that actively intervene in the shaping and reshaping of public spaces in contemporary cities. They are integrating digital technology into buildings in order to make them adaptive and responsive to the flows of human activity and environmental forces... They are scanning the unseen electromagnetic spectrum that surrounds specific places, and turning these data into compelling audio/visual experiences that both heighten and change our perception... Using PDAs and portable laptops connected wirelessly to databases, some artists are creating alternative social maps, counter-histories and individually annotated narratives about local populations in specific neighborhoods... Still others are using mobile social software to coordinate large numbers of bodies for political action; or devising playful and imaginary spaces within the city.... We don't have to leave or disconnect from physical space in order to connect to digital spaces. Artists, architects, technologists, urban planners, and others are recombining the two, connecting individuals and groups together at a variety of scales and intensities."'
Read post
'"[A]n emerging group of artists [is] deploying sensors, hand-held electronics, and faster Internet connections are developing projects that actively intervene in the shaping and reshaping of public spaces in contemporary cities. They are integrating digital technology into buildings in order to make them adaptive and responsive to the flows of human activity and environmental forces... They are scanning the unseen electromagnetic spectrum that surrounds specific places, and turning these data into compelling audio/visual experiences that both heighten and change our perception... Using PDAs and portable laptops connected wirelessly to databases, some artists are creating alternative social maps, counter-histories and individually annotated narratives about local populations in specific neighborhoods... Still others are using mobile social software to coordinate large numbers of bodies for political action; or devising playful and imaginary spaces within the city.... We don't have to leave or disconnect from physical space in order to connect to digital spaces. Artists, architects, technologists, urban planners, and others are recombining the two, connecting individuals and groups together at a variety of scales and intensities."'
Read post
Spying Technology!
The New York Times covers an interesting conference in 'Technology for Spying Lures More Than Military'. In perhaps what is the biggest type of gathering of this kind, around 20,000 'experts in the business' meet in San Diego to check out the latest in high-tech surveillance gadgets and discuss undercover investigations, background checks and interrogation techniques:
'But many of those attending the ASIS International “Maximum Security” conference will not be there on behalf of the United States government or the military. They work for corporate America, where security is a big and sometimes controversial business, as the executives of Hewlett-Packard have found in the wake of revelations of a covert-operations spying scandal that the company conducted against its own directors and journalists.
Companies worldwide spent an estimated $95 billion on security last year, according to the Freedonia Group, a market research firm in Cleveland. While that’s a broad figure that includes spending on emergency planning in case of a terrorist attack and protecting corporate records from hackers, an increasing portion went to high-tech equipment like spyware and specialized data-mining software that was deployed in-house so companies could better see what their own employees were up to.'
Perhaps more academics should be attending in order to protect their research freedoms as well as learning more appropriate methods for obtaining field material?
'But many of those attending the ASIS International “Maximum Security” conference will not be there on behalf of the United States government or the military. They work for corporate America, where security is a big and sometimes controversial business, as the executives of Hewlett-Packard have found in the wake of revelations of a covert-operations spying scandal that the company conducted against its own directors and journalists.
Companies worldwide spent an estimated $95 billion on security last year, according to the Freedonia Group, a market research firm in Cleveland. While that’s a broad figure that includes spending on emergency planning in case of a terrorist attack and protecting corporate records from hackers, an increasing portion went to high-tech equipment like spyware and specialized data-mining software that was deployed in-house so companies could better see what their own employees were up to.'
Perhaps more academics should be attending in order to protect their research freedoms as well as learning more appropriate methods for obtaining field material?
Vehicle Navigation Service with Net Access
Nissan the car manufacturer has now come up with Vehicle Navigation Service with Net Access according to TechnologyNewsDaily:
' Nissan Ltd. will introduce a new CARWINGS navigation service that allows drivers to hear Internet information while driving, the world’s first such service. The new Internet navigation service will be available to subscribers this autumn in Japan.
CARWINGS is Nissan’s original telematics service and is exclusive to the Japanese market.
The new internet service allows subscribers to retreive information from a limited number of Internet sites, including Yahoo! Japan, Sony’s So-net lifestyle blog and Nissan Drive Navi, a Nissan travel guide blog. The service automatically transforms information from the Internet (RSS format) into a user-friendly format that can be viewed on a vehicle navigation monitor.
Drivers have to select the Internet sites when the vehicle in parking mode. Once the car is in motion, the system will automatically retrieve information from the pre-programmed Internet sites and a voice function will read out the contents, making it possible to receive information even while driving.'
Via Smartmobs
' Nissan Ltd. will introduce a new CARWINGS navigation service that allows drivers to hear Internet information while driving, the world’s first such service. The new Internet navigation service will be available to subscribers this autumn in Japan.
CARWINGS is Nissan’s original telematics service and is exclusive to the Japanese market.
The new internet service allows subscribers to retreive information from a limited number of Internet sites, including Yahoo! Japan, Sony’s So-net lifestyle blog and Nissan Drive Navi, a Nissan travel guide blog. The service automatically transforms information from the Internet (RSS format) into a user-friendly format that can be viewed on a vehicle navigation monitor.
Drivers have to select the Internet sites when the vehicle in parking mode. Once the car is in motion, the system will automatically retrieve information from the pre-programmed Internet sites and a voice function will read out the contents, making it possible to receive information even while driving.'
Via Smartmobs
Why We Need An X Prize for Eco-Friendly Air Travel
In this persuasive post from Worldchanging titled 'Why We Need An X Prize for Eco-Friendly Air Travel' they discuss the rapid growth of air travel and its pollutive effects:
'While air travel contributes only 3% of humanity's total CO2 emissions (making them a problem only a few times larger than, say, coal fires), air travel is growing at an astounding rate. And while engines are growing more efficient, planes are also getting larger and flights more frequent, meaning that air travel may effectively undo many of the gains so far made in cutting CO2:
Friends of the Earth commissioned a study from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research to work out what growth of 6.4% a year (its average through the 1990s) would mean for Britain over the next 40-50 years. It concluded that the total CO2 discharges from air-traffic would soon offset all the reductions in carbon emissions scheduled under British government policies to comply with Kyoto. The European Commission (presumably neutral on such matters) accepts that, by 2012, the growth in aviation would offset more than a quarter of the reductions that its richer members hoped for
Furthermore, for a variety of reasons having to do with chemical emissions and contrail formation (the white "tails" jets leave behind them), it turns out that airplanes have a climate impact that's actually 2-4 times greater than their CO2 emissions alone would indicate.'
More to read on this - see full post
'While air travel contributes only 3% of humanity's total CO2 emissions (making them a problem only a few times larger than, say, coal fires), air travel is growing at an astounding rate. And while engines are growing more efficient, planes are also getting larger and flights more frequent, meaning that air travel may effectively undo many of the gains so far made in cutting CO2:
Friends of the Earth commissioned a study from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research to work out what growth of 6.4% a year (its average through the 1990s) would mean for Britain over the next 40-50 years. It concluded that the total CO2 discharges from air-traffic would soon offset all the reductions in carbon emissions scheduled under British government policies to comply with Kyoto. The European Commission (presumably neutral on such matters) accepts that, by 2012, the growth in aviation would offset more than a quarter of the reductions that its richer members hoped for
Furthermore, for a variety of reasons having to do with chemical emissions and contrail formation (the white "tails" jets leave behind them), it turns out that airplanes have a climate impact that's actually 2-4 times greater than their CO2 emissions alone would indicate.'
More to read on this - see full post
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