| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:The death toll from pollution is even worse than previously estimated | |
| Posted by: | David Parker | |
| Date/Time: | 11/02/21 15:10:00 |
| On the question of why seeking to combat air pollution might cause more poverty just think of all the extra fees and charges that have been introduced over the last few years with the justification they will help towards improving the environment. As the charges are not related to income they effectively act as a regressive tax taking a greater proportion of earnings the poorer you are. Ultimately they will tend to reduce life expectancy more than any benefit that might result from cleaner air. On the point about tyres and brakes particulates causing air pollution a basic knowledge of physics would tell you this is not particularly relevant if you talking about Putney High Street. Brake and tyre wear will largely be determined by the speed of the vehicle - most of it will occur on motorways and major dual carriageways which tend not to be in high population areas. Also the notion of a policy that focuses on short journeys needs to be challenged. As I said previously a trip to the shops does too little harm to the environment to be worth targeting. If your boat is leaking you don't fix the small holes first. The emphasis has to be on reducing longer journeys which only can really be done by better public transport. |