On the right track
At the time of this issue going to press, teenage climate heroine, Greta Thunberg, was facing a dilemma. Having made headlines the world over by sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to attend the COP25 summit in Santiago, Chile – a bold statement on the issue on the state of carbon-emitting air travel – the public protests taking place in the South American city led to the summit being moved back across the pond, the hosting baton being picked up by Madrid (see Climatewatch, page 11). Thunberg issued a public plea for help to get back across the waters in time to speak at the hastily rearranged climate gathering and, as we hit roll the presses on this issue, was still searching for a travel option that would allow her to maintain her zero-carbon stance. By the time you read this she may well be on her way, although it’s hard to see how such a last-minute, environmentally friendly trip can be arranged given the world’s current transport options.
Appropriately enough, this issue of Geographical is something of a ‘transport special’ and on page 20 we look into the alarmingly high carbon-emitting world of air travel onto which Thunberg is shining a spotlight. Chris Fitch asks what solutions exist to limit the environmental damage caused by our overcrowded skies.
Back on the ground, and elsewhere in South America, Brazil’s biggest city is attempting a green makeover by shutting one of its busiest highways to road traffic, turning it into a pedestrianised paradise akin to New York’s High Line. However, on page 30, Lottie Watters highlights how the scheme is facing bureaucratic obstacles, planning difficulties and legal challenges, much to the ongoing frustration of the local inhabitants who will be most affected by the outcome.
To round off our look at all things ‘travel’ - Jules Stewart documents one hundred years of Madrid’s metro network (page 38), cartographer Benjamin Hennig offers a fascinating analysis of our own nation’s commuting habits (page 8), and we even detail the turbulent history of New York’s streetcar network (page 78). All aboard!