Issues such as generating sufficient electricity to mobilise 40 million vehicles may mean building more nuclear reactors. If that is the case are we not swapping one contamination problem for an even worse one – the disposal of nuclear waste. The contamination from car tyres and brakes entering our water supply and, lastly the disposal of thousands of spent toxic batteries have not been thought through. Focusing solely on how we power our vehicles when you end up with a gridlocked transport system seems rather pointless.
The Pandemic, online shopping and poor planning are decimating our town centres resulting in purely dormitory villages, dying town centres, city centres, and motorways full of cars. By placing shopping malls, industrial and office complexes out of town life has become almost impossible without the constant use of the motor car.
SOLUTION – Self sufficiency should be the cornerstone of all future planning applications and based on the assumption that all fuel ran out yesterday. This would add the necessary urgency that many councils lack. Eventually city centres will revert to mainly residential with a reduction in office use and a more balanced combination of business, resulting in less traffic and pollution.
In order to cushion what is going to be a very difficult time, councils need to recognise this, be proactive and speed this whole regeneration process up.
In the fullness of time the pandemic may well turn out to be the catalyst we needed, forcing us to change the way we live, reducing global warming and leaving a planet our children can live on.
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