Extinction Rebellion

[pErvinalia]

The French secret service?

[Scot Dutchy]

Brussels-Vienna night train returns as Europe eyes flying alternatives

Revival of Austrian overnight network comes as Sweden considers service from Malmö to other continental cities

Night trains have returned to the tracks between Brussels and Vienna amid growing interest in alternatives to flying.

The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) Nightjet from Vienna pulled into Brussels Midi station exactly on schedule at 10.55 local time on a grey, foggy morning in the Belgian capital. It is the first ÖBB night train between the two cities since 2003, as Austria’s state-railway revives its overnight network.

The revival of the Vienna to Brussels route comes after authorities in Sweden – the spiritual home of the “flight-shame” movement – announced they were also considering the launch of night trains between Malmö and other European cities.

The ÖBB, which claims the title of Europe’s largest operator of night trains, said travelling between Vienna and Brussels by train emits 10 times less CO2 than the same journey by air.

Love night trains. ÖBB have some of the best.

[JimC]

If it was good enough for Lenin...

[Brian Peacock]

Most Australian chief executives believe climate crisis a threat to business

Australian company bosses are becoming increasingly concerned about the climate crisis and are expecting tough economic times in the year ahead, a new survey shows.

Global accounting firm PwC’s annual survey of CEOs shows bosses are preparing to cut jobs and don’t think Australian business and government is doing enough to deal with global heating – a dismal picture that is set to get worse once the effects of the past month’s deadly bushfires take hold.

Economists expect the damage to industries including tourism, agriculture and retail from the unprecedented fires to carve up to 0.2 percentage points from Australia’s already anaemic growth figures.

Experts say the damage to the tourism sector is likely to top $1bn, and there is little likelihood that sales figures will show that Christmas revived a retail sector struggling to hold on as consumers who haven’t enjoyed a pay rise for years keep their wallets firmly shut.

In September and October, before the bushfires peaked, PwC surveyed 1,600 CEOs around the world, including 117 Australians.

Even then, 65% of Australian bosses said climate change was a major threat, up from 60% last year and 43% a decade ago...

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-n ... _clipboard

[Brian Peacock]

Luxury travel: 50 wealthy tourists, eight countries ... and one giant carbon footprint


Forget cruises. The super-rich have found a new way to see the world in the luxurious style of an ocean liner but taking a fraction of the time: private jet round-the-world tours.

This week, 50 members of the wealthy elite will board a privately chartered Boeing 757 to begin a 24-day guided tour of the globe, taking in Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, the Galápagos islands and mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

The trip involves 10 flights, 23 nights in five-star hotels or lodges, meals in some of the world’s most famous restaurants, champagne and “every single tip”. Thrown in are tour guides, an engineer, seven cabin crew, a chef and an “expedition physician”.

The cost is £108,000 a person for couples, or £118,800 for one. The cost to the environment is the emission of 13 tonnes of carbon dioxide per passenger...

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... _clipboard

[Sean Hayden]

What do they have in common besides money? I'd fucking die. It reminds me of the bit by David Cross about flying first class. He was so uncomfortable that he imagined others thought the Make A Wish foundation was helping him live a dream.

[JimC]

An excellent article here - strongly recommended...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-23/ ... a/11885000

[Brian Peacock]

"It has been pointed out that while there are many environments with no economy, there are no economies that do not rely on the environment. "

Excellently put.

[JimC]

Another condescending arsehole of an American politician:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-24/ ... g/11896084

...Asked about Ms Thunberg's call to divest from fossil fuels, Mr Mnuchin told a news briefing: "Is she the chief economist? I'm confused…".

"After she goes and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us."

Mr Mnuchin later told CNBC he did not believe there were just a few years left to prevent a climate catastrophe.

"There are a lot of other important issues" threatening civilisation, he said, citing health and nuclear proliferation.

"I think that the youth needs to understand: climate is one issue that needs to be put in contexts with lots of other things."

This munchkin is a moron.

[Brian Peacock]

History will look back on his and his boss' tenure and qualify them as the self-serving cunts they really are. But that doesn't help us now...

Ready to get arrested yet Jim? I must admit, I'm getting close.

[pErvinalia]

Now that I'm a somewhat functional adult, I'm less inclined to get arrested.

[JimC]

History will look back on his and his boss' tenure and qualify them as the self-serving cunts they really are. But that doesn't help us now...

Ready to get arrested yet Jim? I must admit, I'm getting close.

Bron and I are doing the non-violent civil disobedience training a fortnight from tomorrow. Then, we will both be prepared to be an "arrestable", mainly for our autumn rebellion week, starting on Easter Monday. If we're both at a demo, then only one of us will let the rozzers lead us away - we'll take it in turn...

[Brian Peacock]

Terrorist!!

It struck me that pretty much everything coming out of DAVOS this year has been thoroughly greenwashed. But we all know by now that the public facing junket has nothing to do with the secret horse trading and economic carve-ups going on in the private suites.

[Svartalf]

pfff, I wonder why greta made the trip, if anything, it hurts her credibility more than it helps.

[Brian Peacock]

At least she hits the newsfeeds of them youngsters who probably didn't know DAVOS was even a thing.