Conference Matters 142

MOBILITY

Europe by

a blessing

or a curse?

The need to emit less CO2 is well known and con cerns the entire world. The Dutch government is insisting on 2030, the year in which it must have achieved a reduction of at least 55 percent CO2 in order to be climate neutral by 2050. Most peo ple see train travel, in particular, as a sustainable alternative to short-distance flights. Businesses are doing their best. In the Nether lands, more than 70 large companies, accounting for 550,000 employees, united in the Coalitie Anders Reizen (CAR) have signed an agreement to no longer take the plane for business meet ings less than 700 kilometres and less than three hours away. Quality time Professor Boudewijn de Bruin, linked to the Faculty of Economics and Business at the Uni versity of Groningen, usually travels by train. “I go to Gothenburg regularly, which is easily accessi ble by train and night boat, so I can work undis turbed and comfortably on board. That’s quality time business that you don’t easily have when checking in at the airport.”

Companies are increasingly looking for a sustainable alternative to their CO2-consuming air travel. It is a noble pursuit, but there are still some obstacles to overcome. ‘Today, booking a group train ticket is more difficult than your average maths test,’ says an incentive trip organiser. For employees of the University of Groningen, the rules are clear-cut. Travel to destinations up to 800 kilometres, or with a travel time of nine hours, is done by train. And that is already 100 kilometres further than the limit set by the university a few years ago. The CO2 emissions this avoids are respectable, as a map on their site shows. If we single out London, the 592-kilometre train journey from the Central Netherlands produces one kilo of CO2 compared to 304 kilos for a flight. You could wonder where we would be without the train. By Evelien Baks

Boudewijn de Bruin

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