Beyond the Mainstream
[ The bits they'd rather you didn't know ]
UK FIRES is a research programme sponsored by the UK Government, aiming to support a 20% cut in the UK’s true emissions by 2050.
This 'Absolute Zero' report was published in November 2019.
Road vehicles: We already have targets for phasing out non-electric vehicles, but by 2050 will have only 60% of the electricity required to power a fleet equivalent to that in use today. Therefore we will either use 60% fewer cars or they will be 60% the size.
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Aviation: There are no options for zero-emissions flight in the time available for action, so the industry faces a rapid contraction. Without flying, there will be growth in domestic and train-reach tourism and leisure.
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Food and agriculture: Beef and lamb phased out by 2050 and replaced by greatly expanded demand for vegetarian food. Electricity supply for food processing and storage will be cut by 50%.
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ROAD blocks stopping most motorists from driving through Oxford city centre will divide the city into six "15 minute" neighbourhoods.
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Four of the new traffic filters would operate seven days a week from 7am to 7pm, with another two operating from Monday to Saturday.
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People can drive freely around their own neighbourhood and can apply for a permit to drive through the filters, and into other neighbourhoods, for up to 100 days per year. This equates to an average of two days per week.
THE LINE
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If the idea of 15-minute neighbourhoods make you twitchy, how about Saudi Arabia's The Line, currently under construction?
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170 kilometers long by just 200 meters wide, housing 9 million people. No roads or cars, all facilities within a 5-minute walk.
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