German cities to trial free public transport to cut pollution

“Car nation” Germany has surprised neighbours with a radical proposal to reduce road traffic by making public transport free, as Berlin scrambles to meet EU air pollution targets and avoid big fines.

Public transport is hugely popular in Germany, with 10.3
  billion journeys being made in 2017. A plan to trial free
public transport is part of an effort to reduce road traffic.

The move comes just over two years after Volkswagen’s devastating “dieselgate” emissions cheating scandal unleashed a wave of anger at the auto industry, a keystone of German prosperity.

“We are considering public transport free of charge in order to reduce the number of private cars,” three ministers including the environment minister, Barbara Hendricks, wrote to EU environment commissioner Karmenu Vella in the letter seen by AFP Tuesday.

Read the story by Philip Oltermann, and agencies, on The Guardian - “German cities to trial free public transport to cut pollution.”

Australia’s energy operator proposes 'fast change' scenario to cut emissions by 52 per cent by 2030

Greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector would be reduced at twice the rate proposed by the Turnbull government under a radical new plan outlined by the Australian Energy Market Operator.

Greens climate change spokesman Adam Bandt said the
 AEMO report was effectively bypassing the government.

The "fast change" model puts the public operator on a collision course with policymakers after AEMO outlined a potential cut of 52 per cent to all electricity emissions by 2030, double the rate required to meet our Paris climate change commitments.

Read Eryk Bagshaw’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Australia’s energy operator proposes 'fast change' scenario to cut emissions by 52 per cent by 2030.”

Malcolm gives us something to think about

Beneath the Wisteria supporter Malcolm Green of Avenel, Victoria, has a rather revolutionary idea for easing climate change and turning our economy “on its head”.

It’s different, it’s radical and being so complex and strange when compared to what exists, it takes some time to “get your head around it”.

Radical, but maybe it's reasonable.

Here is what Malcolm suggests:

 

Surely there is no surprise about the resistance to doing something about climate change, as doing something about it will challenge the incomes of many people, businesses and government. It is the economy that is under threat - so no wonder...

And in this economy, energy is a commodity.

However what if we spun the whole thing on its head?

What about if energy was the money itself, not a commodity.

Specifically what if kiloWatthours were the unit-of-exchange, hence the money of the economy. This money could move around in the economy through the electrical power transmission lines that interlink us (at least in Australia mostly).

A good thing about this system, unlike the old economy, is that there is free money available (pretty much). By harvesting solar energy, which we know is technically efficient, free money comes into the economy from space. Then people could have an automatic income and instead of work, concentrate on doing the important things (or relax), and let the machines and robots do the work, as they are increasingly doing.

This new economy will have a good impact on doing something about climate change because the fossil fuel people are not going to give their energy away for free - and when solar energy is money - no-one is going to want to buy it !!

Enabling technology is battery storage, smart metering, and then new protocols for using the electricity transmission grid.

Then I could sell you a service or a product and in return you could transmit to me some of your kWhs.

I could use some of my newly gained kWhs in my electric car !

With a free and automatic income, people could just work on the things that they believe in - that would be good for them and for society in general I think. Therefore the cost of labour might go down, and therefore the cost of products would go down - a products price just reflecting the true technical (even energy) cost.

It can be considered that energy is the economic system of Universe, we Humanity, could align with that.

Recycling materials would be an important part of this scenario, as well as clever designing - 'doing more with less material and less energy'.

Hey presto - a world that works for everyone (as even the fossil fuel people will a receive a free income of solar energy)