The Rail, Engineering, Energy, Renewables, Power Blog

We hear a lot these days about climate change and the effects it will have in the future if we don’t cut our carbon emissions.

But what about the here and now? The world is already witnessing more destructive tropical cyclones, with much stronger winds. Just ask anyone who lives in or around Manila. Typhoon Ketsana, or Ondoy as it was known locally, wreaked havoc on Saturday when it struck landfall on the northern island of Luzon. 80% of the capital was under water within six hours and the cleanup operation is set to take several weeks.

The heavy rain brought by Ondoy inundated the homes of nearly 1.9 million people in Metro Manila and surrounding areas. The death toll currently stands at 246 and nearly 380,000 people have sought shelter in schools, churches and other evacuation centres. (more…)

The annual labour party conference got underway in Brighton on Sunday.

Speaking on the first day of the conference, Ed Miliband, the climate change secretary, called on all Labour councils to sign up to the 10:10 campaign and cut their carbon emissions by 10% by next year. (more…)

Hitachi has revealed an ambitious plan to reduce the carbon emissions of its products worldwide by 100 million tonnes by 2025. All products manufactured by the group must be qualified eco-products by that same year. This will involve enhancing the environmental performance of materials, parts, components and product design, by taking advantage of technologies developed by the group. (more…)

A rail industry report says that removing carriages outside rush hour would conserve energy and reinforce rail’s reputation as one of the greenest modes of transport. Network Rail and the (AOTLS)Association of Train Operating Companies argue they can help reduce carbon emissions by 20% by 2020 by running shorter trains off-peak. (more…)