SUVs double  market share

Growing demand for SUVs was the second largest contributor to the increase in global CO2 emissions from 2010 to 2018, an analysis has found.

In that period, SUVs doubled their global market share from 17% to 39% and their annual emissions rose to more than 700 megatonnes of CO2, more than the yearly total emissions of the UK and the Netherlands combined.

No energy sector except power drove a larger increase in carbon emissions, putting SUVs ahead of heavy industry (including iron, steel, cement and aluminium), aviation and shipping.

“We were quite surprised by this result ourselves,” said Laura Cozzi, the chief energy modeller of the International Energy Agency, which produced the report.

The recent dramatic shift towards heavier SUVs has offset both efficiency improvements in smaller cars and carbon savings from electric vehicles. … Continue Reading

The Prof. passes through 

Otago University researcher professor Haxby Abbott visited Martinborough during his length of New Zealand cycle ride to promote his call for a much needed change in the way osteoarthritis is treated in New Zealand. 

The message highlights his research, funded by the New Zealand Health Research Council, which  showed that while the rate of osteoarthritis is rising rapidly the health system is not delivering the recommended treatments efficiently. He said that rolling out nationally an evidence based exercise would cost about $25 million annually but would result in significant health gains and savings to the health system of $450 million annually. … Continue Reading

Country dog – City dog

Library Book Club 

It is hard to comprehend how much this virus has progressed from the morning when we met on Friday 13^th. Words like the new norm keep appearing in our conversations. And I have been caught I don’t have enough reading material for an extended isolation. What is plan B?

In the few days I have been out of real contact with the world I realise I love people, conversations and cafes. Just talking about all the insights that come mainly from reading.

At book club we had our lovely Polly talking about Dona Leon’s  29^th book in the police commissioner Guido Brunetti series. This is set in Venice and uses contemporary concerns such as misreporting contaminants in water samples, dead fish and a woman dying of cancer. She considered this a good read. … Continue Reading