by Tony Juniper – Executive Director, Friends of the Earth UK & Vice Chair, Friends of the Earth International

Passionately written and well argued, Tony Juniper’s 95 articles (suggested solutions) are essential reading for anyone who cares about the world we live in and the world our children will inherit. To read the full articles, I highly recommend getting a copy of How Many Lightbulbs Does It Take To Change A Planet? By Tony Juniper.

36-51 A to B

Solution 36 – Divert government expenditure away from road building and towards more sustainable forms of transport.

Solution 37 – Put in place city congestion charges and national road-pricing schemes.

Solution 38 – Increase the road-tax differentials between the most polluting and the cleanest vehicles.

Solution 39 – Introduce mandatory environmental labelling for all new vehicles, with the aim of doubling feul-efficiency within a decade.

Solution 40 – Reintroduce and maintain the so-called fuel-duty escalator so that the actual and relative price of fuel is gradually but consistently increased.

Solution 41 – Introduce standards for biofuels so that steps to reduce the impact of transport emissions on the climate do not lead to damaging impacts on the wider environment, biodiversity and indigenous peoples.

Solution 42 – Spend the money derived from road-user charging, vehicle excise duty and fuel tax for the development of cleaner, greener public transport systems.

Solution 43 – Replace diesel-powered buses with buses powered by hydrogen fuel cells

Solution 44 – Help to revitalise town centres by connecting them to suburbs via safe cycle routes, walkways and buses.

Solution 45 – Place a moritorium on the expansion of airports, and tax aviation fuel at the same rate as road fuel.

Solution 46 – Introduce emissions charging for aeroplanes to encourage the adoption of cleaner technology.

Solution 47 – Invest in high-speed rail routes to cut back on short-haul aviation.

Solution 48 – Promote video conferencing and other modes of long-distance communication as an alternative to business travel.

Solution 49 – Use government, international and regional development agency funds to invest in ‘local’ holiday facilities, including a renaissance of the traditional holiday options.

Solution 50 – Regenerate public transport, for example, by reopening closed railway lines and expanding bus services.

Solution 51 – Restore rural services.