Today's News

[Oma]

Regardless of your Political views this is shocking , that poor man and his family , my heart goes out to them
To lose someone at any time is heart breaking but like this is dreadful .

[Daisy]

Plant - thank you for posting that. It is the most terrible attack on our national liberty. I believe a lot of MPs changed from 'open surgeries' to appointments only after Jo Cox was murdered 5/6 years ago, but you couldn't blame any MP for not wanting to have a face-to-face surgery at all after this horrendous murder.

My heart goes out to Sir David's family. What a wicked world we live in.

[Daisy]

With the Summit on climate change (COP26) starting in just over a week's time our thoughts will be drawn to ways of helping to halt and hopefully reverse some of the adverse effects of our warming planet.

With the Covid restrictions, many of us have had to cancel foreign holidays, but now travel restrictions are less onerous many of us would like a welcome break away from the UK. But, are we just adding an intolerable burden of CO2 to the atmosphere by flying to that sunny beach. It's a dilemma for the present - needing a holiday, not wanting to add to the destruction of the planet for our children and grandchildren. The aviation industry is responsible for about 2.4% of global CO2 emissions. A single flight can emit as much CO2 as many people do in a whole year.

But there's another factor. Condensation trails or Contrails for short. These white cloudy scratches in the sky left by planes could be even more significant due to the radiation caused by them. They are made up of water vapour that condenses as ice onto soot particles which are emitted from aircraft engines. They need certain atmospheric conditions to form - very cold air, humidity and 'supersaturation' for the ice to form. They absorb outgoing heat, which would otherwise escape into space. The longer they last (eg in cold night air) the more damage is done.

Hopefully, there may be a solution. Prof Marc Stettler who is a transport and environment lecturer at Imperial College London says changing the altitude of fewer the 2% of flights could potentially reduce climatic changes caused by contrails by a massive 59%. He says that changing the flight levels of some flights by just one thousand feet can stop some of the contrails from forming. He says that a relatively small proportion of flights contribute to the majority of climate impact.

This has been reinforced by Prof Christiane Voigt, head of the cloud physics department at Mainz University in Germany. (Who knew there was a Clouds Physics Department anywhere!) Using data gathered by high altitude long-range aircraft, her team have been able to predict and avoid around 80% of contrails with little cost. Just a few flights would have to be deviated to make a large climate impact. It is suggested a relatively low cost change to flight plan software would enable altitude changes to be made mid-flight. A bonus could be smoother flights and less turbulence.

We could be packing that suitcase with a clearer conscience in the not too distant future.

[Oma]

Didn't planes Fly at a lower altitude years ago ?
Im sure they did , If they could do that then I cant see a reason they can't now .

If that is the case and it helps the CO2 emissions then its a no Brainer isn't it .

[Daisy]

Oma, yes I think they did fly at lower altitudes (I'll ask J!). I got the impression - which could be totally wrong - that the contrails would be less at a higher altitude. They also change altitude depending on prevailing winds and weather conditions. Commercial aircraft do have to keep above certain altitudes, well above small aircraft and in controlled airspace.

[Daisy]

I'm sorry the GRU News snippets have been a bit sparse for the last week or so. Headlines seem to have been all-consuming, and the little topics haven't caught my eye.

But some time ago we had a thread about Smart Motorways - where all lanes carry traffic. Instead of a hard shoulder there are occasional 'refuges' where you can stop if you happen to break down at the right time. Technology is supposed to trigger warnings and emergency lane closures if there is a problem in a running lane, but it has proved so far to be unreliable, resulting in tragic, needless accidents.

It's intended that all new motorways should be 'smart', and there are certainly sections of current motorways which are being converted. However there have been a lot of safety concerns about them, and now MPs are listening to the warnings. The Commons' Transport Select Committee have reported that there isn't enough safety and economic data to justify continuing with the plans. The Department for Transport has said it would consider the Committee's recommendations.

Campaigners against smart motorways say, however, that the report's recommendations don't go far enough. They point out that the only really safe option is a dedicated, continuous hard shoulder.

I totally agree with them.

[Gemini]

We were watching the reports on this on TV this morning, Daisy. I totally agree too.

[Lizzie48]

Daisy, I did read this as it was my worry when I was (expecting) to drive to Wales last year. I do think they are dangerous, ridiculous in fact.

[Daisy]

Yes, I think that was what sparked the thread about smart motorways, Lizzie, wasn't it. Currently they are "upgrading" (what a misnomer that is) part of the M27 near us, and it's really worrying what it will mean for safety. It's a busy section and it's scary enough as it is, but having no hard shoulder will put a lot of people off using it, pushing traffic onto narrow country A and B roads or into Southampton, which is already very congested.

[Gemini]

We would definitely avoid them, even if it meant a much longer journey.

[Gemini]

Missing Australian girl found alive

I have been following this story and and am so relived this little girl has been found. I hope nothing bad has happened to her while she was away.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/03/cleo-smith-western-australian-girl-found-alive-after-going-missing-more-than-two-weeks-ago

[Lizzie48]

I was pleased when I read she has been found, I just hope she didn't go through too much.

[Daisy]

Gem - I hadn't seen the story previously, but what a huge relief that this little girl is home safely with her family. She must have been frightened and missed her family, but I do hope there wasn't anything worse.

[Daisy]

Most of us have experienced the stresses of moving home and possibly buying and selling. It's said to be one of life's major causes of anxiety, worry and worse.

But just imagine what it must be like for people caught in the "Cladding Crisis" trap. They bought leasehold properties/flats in good faith and now find themselves trapped - unable to sell, their major investment of a roof over their heads all but worthless. The clip below is five minutes looking at how some people's lives have been destroyed. It's so sad.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0b3vp4n

[Gemini]

It's appalling Daisy