Três anos e meio, desde o Yukon, Alasca até Ushuaia, a cidade mais austral do mundo. Três anos e meio à procura de respostas, sem haver verdadeiramente perguntas. Três anos e meio para se chegar a um fim inesperado à partida, porque quem partiu não é, necessariamente, a mesma pessoa que chega, mas chegou mesmo assim. Para quem pensasse que já não existem aventureiros na era moderna, este punhado de rapazes provou precisamente o contrário, com poucos meios. Com uma pequena pontinha de inveja, o Planeta QI dá os parabéns a estes heróis dos tempos modernos, que ligaram o Norte do continente americano ao Sul, através da espinha dorsal das Américas, com nível zero de emissões.Riding the Spine: In Patagonia from Jacob Thompson on Vimeo (a banda sonora é de Tom Waits).
"Reflecting on the journey, I am tempted to expect some clarity as we near the end. If somebody in Ushuaia asks me why I pedaled all that way to arrive in their city, could I say anything that will help them understand? Or rather anything that can even help me understand?
Our trip has been about making a lifestyle out of something you love. It has been about taking that tiny dirt road you may pass by everyday and wonder where it goes. Sometimes it is about ridding yourself of a routine, and discovering where chance may take you – into the lives of new friends and hospitality or into dangerous and challenging circumstances. And yet, every time I think I grasp the purpose of our journey, as if it materializes in the reflection of still water, when I reach down to grab ahold, the object suddenly vanishes."
Jacob, membro da expedição RDS
Após dois anos de disputas judiciais indescritíveis, o desejável será que a competição tenha lugar na água e que ganhe a melhor equipa. Na tripulação de terra do Alinghi há um português de Setúbal, João Cabeçadas, que alinha na sua terceira campanha da Taça América. O Planeta QI torce pelo Alinghi, a primeira equipa a trazer o troféu para a Europa desde a criação da competição.
A matéria dos direitos dos ciclistas e dos peões tem sido mal resolvida nos diversos Códigos da Estrada. Na última revisão operada naquele diploma, tal não constituiu, uma vez mais, uma excepção. Assim, na senda da anterior petição dirigida ao Presidente da República (link na coluna do lado direito), a Federação Portuguesa de Cicloturismo e Utilizadores de Bicicleta (FPCUB) vem propôr a assinatura de uma nova petição, a dirigir à Assembleia da República, para se rever a matéria (aqui). Até ao momento já se juntaram mais de 500 assinaturas num prazo muito curto.
History
In October 2005, representatives of 18 leading world cities met in London to discuss joining forces to tackle global warming and climate change.
The representatives saw the need for action and cooperation on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pledged to work together towards achieving that goal.
At the end of the conference, a communiqué was signed which recognised the need for cities to take action and to cooperate on reducing climate emissions.
The cities also promised a number of action points, including most notably the creation of procurement policies and alliances to accelerate the uptake of climate-friendly technologies and influence the market place.
Partnering with the Clinton Foundation
In August 2006, the initiative was further strengthened when former President Clinton and the former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone announced a partnership between the Clinton Climate Initiative and the Large Cities Climate Leadership Group (since then renamed "C40"). This new partnership pledged to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency in large cities across the world.
What is the relationship between climate change and cities?
Cities cover less than one per cent of the earth's surface but are disproportionately responsible for causing climate change.
Currently, around 50 per cent of the world’s population live in cities (set to reach 60 per cent by 2030). Yet cities and urban areas consume some 75 per cent of the world's energy and are responsible for up to 75 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.
So a majority of the world's energy consumption either occurs in cities or as a direct result of the way that cities function (eg through transport of goods to points of consumption in cities).
Cities bear a large responsibility for causing climate change and are therefore key to alleviating climate change. We have to move from a high energy-use, wasteful economic model to one that conserves energy and minimises waste. In other words we have to be more efficient.
How are cities affected by climate change?
The effects of climate change are often more keenly felt in cities, eg the Urban Heat Island effect. Since many of the world's major cities are very close to the sea, rising sea levels are a major threat.
The concentration of resources in cities can be a useful weapon in fighting climate change. Cities are often centres of new thinking and policy innovation – cities are in a great position to lead the way for others to follow. Novel approaches can be developed that if successful can be rolled out to other cities.
Apesar de se tratar de um 'jiggle' com algum tempo, vale a pena começar o ano a sorrir com este excerto do "Doc Vidas".
O texto não é um tratado, nem será objecto de ratificação, constituindo apenas um acordo político que lança as bases de discussão para o futuro. Cada país poderá no entanto juntar-se-ao compromisso dos que o subscreveram. Claramente, toda a gente já olha para o COP-16, a decorrer no México, em 2010.
