How luxury brands suddenly made electric cars desirable

Many Bentley customers believe they have obtained their wealth because of luck. So says Bentley Motors Ltd.'s new chairman and chief executive officer, Adrian Hallmark, during an interview in Geneva.

Mercedes' sold-out electric Project 1.

"I have recognised that a lot of our customers follow a similar thing: They are super-successful. And a lot of them think it's because they're lucky," he says. "That's really important, because they don't think they're above human weakness and frailty.”

Such perceived (and believed) good fortune is spurring the world's millionaires and billionaires to make luxury purchases, based on a system of values such as reduced carbon footprints and sustainability, he adds.

Read Hannah Elliott’s story from The Age - “How luxury brands suddenly made electric cars desirable.”

(Again, we need to urgently get beyond the idea of the ownership of private transport if we are to ever navigate our way to a truly sustainable world. Private transport needs, no demands, an energy-rich infrastructure and is contrary to the gentleness needed to create a world able to thrive within a damaged atmosphere - our future is going to be about quieter, slower and more restrained living, quite the opposite of the image portrayed by the existing motor industry, particularly those manufacturers who consider themselves “luxury brands” - Robert McLean)

Wealth won't make us safe from climate change, particularly if you are a woman

Should you imagine Australia’s underlying wealth makes it safe from the effects of climate change, think again!

The Thornbury-based Women's Health In the North – (WHIN) has looked at climate impacts in Melbourne and how they connect to gender, as well as to poverty and cultural and linguistic diversity.

Their report, “Women and Environmental Justice: a literature review” says environmental justice is realised by the fair and equitable distribution of

environmental burdens across the entire population, as well as equitable access to and involvement in the mechanisms used to address environmental issues.

This review reveals that women are likely to be disproportionately affected by

environmental injustice, even in wealthy, developed countries such as Australia.