India has the first 100% solar powered airport

[begreen]

http://mashable.com/2015/08/20/india-solar-powered-airport/

 

[Grisu]

From the article:

in a project that expects to see savings of 300,000 tons worth of carbon emissions over the next 25 years

Contrast that with this quote:

One round-trip flight from New York to Europe or to San Francisco creates a warming effect equivalent to 2 or 3 tons of carbon dioxide per person.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/sunday-review/the-biggest-carbon-sin-air-travel.html

If they really wanted to reduce carbon emissions they would have been way better off not to build that airport in the first place. It makes for good publicity but not much more. Even the flights going in and out from our relatively small airport here negate in one year what that airport is supposed to save in carbon emissions in 25.

 

[begreen]

It's a positive step. The airport has been there for years. No doubt the world would be better off if we all stopped flying. No argument there. It would be much better off if we all stopped eating meat too. Ready to stop flying and eating meat? At least in India the majority are vegetarians.

 

[Grisu]

The problem is that we make one positive step and use it to justify several negative steps. After the great recession world oil consumption has been steadily increasing again and stands at 94 million barrels per day despite all those highlighted conservation efforts. Until we see an actual sustained drop in fossil fuel use there is not really anything to celebrate. And that an airport which contributes mightily to fossil fuel use praises itself for the renewable electricity they are using is troublesome to put it mildly.

I wish I could stop flying but job and family overseas make that essentially impossible. I am trying to have not more than 1 or 2 flights a year. On the other hand, I don't also brag about taking the bike or the bus on a regular basis or that I indeed reduced my meat consumption ( ) knowing that those small savings are minuscule compared with my overall carbon footprint.

 

[CombatChris]

All the more reason for high speed rail. Run as much stuff off of electricity, like trains zipping by at 200 mph, and those modes of transportation being fed via clean green power.

 

[begreen]

I think that is coming Chris. India has a strong affinity for rail systems.