The Environment Thread :-)

1 lurker | 58 watchers
Mar 2022
8:10am, 9 Mar 2022
41,702 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Rf surprised at that. I've read that a smaller proportion of younger generation are learning to drive. My son and partner don't drive. They walk and bus everywhere. I'll see if I can find any stats to refer to.
Mar 2022
8:12am, 9 Mar 2022
41,703 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
And fozzy(?) or someone else? always says within 10 years autonomous cars will reduce ownership. You'll order the car like a taxi but no driver. Jo one needs car at their house (exceptions being farms, very remote etc)
Mar 2022
8:12am, 9 Mar 2022
41,704 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
*no one
Mar 2022
8:29am, 9 Mar 2022
22,208 posts
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Bazoaxe
I dont drive and at 54 I doubt now if I ever will learn.

I sat my test once aged around 19 and failed and then before I knew it I had bought a flat and so couldnt afford a car and there wasnt a need.

Mrs Axe when we met also couldnt drive, albeit she did learn when expecting our second child as it was clear that transport was becoming an issue, especially going shopping with a baby in a pram
Mar 2022
9:06am, 9 Mar 2022
41,706 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
theguardian.com

A Department for Transport report has found that driving has declined dramatically over the past 20 years. While just under half of 17- to 20-year-olds had licences in 1992-4, that figure was 29% by 2014. And the number of 21- to 29-year-olds with licences also decreased, from 75% to 63%
Mar 2022
9:24am, 9 Mar 2022
67,831 posts
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Diogenes
Showing my age here, but I find those figures a little sad. To me driving is freedom, a form of independence and also escapism. Moreover, although only in a semi-rural area, our lives wouldn't work without our vehicles. I see a move away from privately-owned vehicles as the opposite of progress, and people not learning to drive as a de-skilling of the population.
Mar 2022
9:29am, 9 Mar 2022
821 posts
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paulcook
I read a piece a few years ago about driving and the drop in numbers. The tone of the piece was very much of the same opinion as your post Dio.

But the evidence in it was 2-fold and a more urbanisation of younger population who didn’t need cars and the exorbitant increasing costs associated with them meant many had no chance of affording driving.
Mar 2022
10:35am, 9 Mar 2022
4,925 posts
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run free
HG - it might be the youth I spoke to are all aspirational drivers (13-16) with parents that drive. So it becomes a norm to be able to have as Diogenes says - freedom to go where you want to quickly
Mar 2022
11:01am, 9 Mar 2022
16,775 posts
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rf_fozzy
Happy that trend was correct pre-pandemic.

Because of covid and the restrictions on public transport, I'm not sure whether that trend might have reversed and there are/will be more teen/low 20s drivers.

Its one of the reasons the used car market has gone through the roof in the past couple of years.

And as youve seen on here, there are some people wedded to their cars and won't countenance a life without them.

Which is why we're fucked.
Mar 2022
11:11am, 9 Mar 2022
3,378 posts
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Fields
I think cost of living crisis may cause a reduction in drivers / miles.

One of the issues is outlined in the guardian article I linked to - the trend of cars being replaced every 2-3 years. Of course this is encouraged by capitalism which wants to sell more new cars, and more new loans for the cars. Success is measured by the ability to consume - as fozzy says no wonder we are in the situation we are in.

My own car is 13 years old and should be fine for another 7-10 years I think. Its ULEZ compliant but that’s a moot point as I take public transport to major cities like London.

About This Thread

Hi
I've seen environment (whether emissions, power, climate change, access to countryside, whatever you think of as "environment") discussed in various threads: Politics (obviously), the Electric Car thread fetcheveryone.com/forum/electric-car-anyone-61481/ , run free's excellent "Competitive Running and Keeping The Environment Clean" fetcheveryone.com/forum/running-competitively-keeping-our-environment-clean-60907/ my own Greta Thunberg thread fetcheveryone.com/forum/greta-thunberg---jfk-for-the-climate-generation-61044/ etc. but I haven't seen a general one.

So here it is. For those interested in the science, the politics, the action for (and I'll state that for me, this is mostly pro-environment, anti-emissions, anti-pollution etc.) and the hope for the future of our planet.

Useful links posted by contributors:
rf_fozzy: This is quite a good article about how disruptive technology works too: lesswrong.com
Basically about why Kodak completely missed the boat when it came to digital cameras timkastelle.org
run free's Grand Designs example Ben Laws is a man who built his dream: granddesignsmagazine.com granddesignsmagazine.com
Carbon Commentary carboncommentary.com

Useful Links

FE accepts no responsibility for external links. Or anything, really.

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