Porsche Vs Mayor of London
Undoubtedly automobiles contribute to world carbon dioxide levels and global warming. Even pessimists who do not believe in global warming/think that it is overstated would concede that automobile congestion is becoming intolerable and efficient public transport systems can in many cases provide a sensible alternative. However, the 'solution' of taxing high emissions cars not only appeals to those of an environmental conscience but also to leftists who associate so called gas guzzlers with the wealthy.
So on which side do the politicians lie? The ongoing saga of Porsche Vs London Mayor Ken Livingstone over the issue of increasing the London Congestion Charge to £25/day brings into question the former Labour minister's environmental reasoning.
The motoring press:
The Environmentalists:
Porsche GB:
Whatever peoples' views of gas guzzler taxes, it must be noted that governments have paid a disproportionate amount of attention to motoring related taxes. Yet low-cost flights continue to flourish, homes still lack basic energy saving measures, coal fired power stations continue to be built etc. France makes use of an excellent train network and has very few internal flights compared to the UK as a consequence, despite being a larger country. Governments must take a more balanced approach to environmental protection and recognise the advances automotive manufacturers have made for there is growing scepticism among the mass public.
- RD_Wolves's blog
- 15 points
While I am pretty critical of the auto driven society that the US has become, I have to agree that there has been a distinct lack of attention paid to the airline and housing industry. And this comes from the guy that has flow close to 100K miles since January this year. George Monbiot wrote a solid book on all the places that need to be addressed. Heat is well worth checking out.
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