2023-07-21 20:33:55
The gap in prices in Europe between traveling by plane – much cheaper and much more polluting – and traveling by train – more expensive and less harmful to the environment –, denounced with numbers by Greenpeace, is clear evidence and must be able to be reversed in the short term. Climate change does not wait. It is also obvious that traveling by boat, especially on the big tourist ferries, has equally harmful effects on the environment. Regarding this last point, the government of Amsterdam has just decided that these boats will have to settle for not entering the heart of the city, just as it already happens in Venice. At the port of Barcelona, other limiting measures with ferries are being discussed, which will need to be investigated, both for the avalanche of people and specifically for pollution.
In the case of airplanes, the report in question places Spain as the most poorly positioned country in the European Union. The environmental NGO has analyzed 112 routes between European cities and has concluded that in 79 flights are cheaper than the train; that is to say, in 70% of cases. Also, among the cheapest train options, the vast majority are very slow. And what about Barcelona? Well, that stands out, and not precisely in a positive way. The route that connects the Catalan capital with London is the one with the biggest price difference in Europe between the train and the plane: the rail option is up to 30 times more expensive if you buy the tickets on the same day you want to travel. By train, moreover, it takes 11 hours, twice as long as by plane if you count from door to door. Nor do the routes London-Bratislava (15.5 times the price difference), Madrid-Brussels (15 times) or Budapest-Brussels (12.5 times).
It is not a question of renouncing technical progress or mobility, but of placing the environmental factor as essential in mobility policies”
Overall, Spain is at the bottom of the report, just ahead of the United Kingdom, which has also been included in the study. Why does it rank so badly? Well, because the State has the highest density of airlines low cost: Ryanair, EasyJet, Vueling, Volotea, Air Europa and Wizz Air. Only the Barcelona-Madrid train journey receives a good mark. However, you can’t even go from Madrid to Lisbon by train. And the lack of night trains cries out to the heavens, here and everywhere, although it is only now beginning to be reversed. Welcome this little twist.
The quantitative success of the Prat and Barajas airports is assured, and in the Catalan case even the need for an extension cannot be ignored, but this should not stand in the way of effectively and quickly promoting rail options. In fact, what Greenpeace is asking for makes sense when it points out that instead of subsidizing airlines with tax exemptions, what should be done is to make similar policies with the train. Tend to make, whenever possible, short journeys with this much less polluting means should be a governmental and social priority. It is not a matter of renouncing technical progress or mobility, but of placing the environmental factor as essential in policies and personal decisions. Traveling with minimal pollution should be a goal.
#Planes #trains #Goal #travel #polluting