Over a long enough timescale we are all doomed anyway! Many people are more focussed on being unable to pay their bills at the moment, rather than worrying about what *might* happen if sea levels rise over the next few decades.
Fortunately, a lot of policies that help bring down bills (insulation, decoupling electricity prices from volatile international markets) also contribute to or require decarbonisation.
As an aside, the scientific evidence for the climate crisis and the myriad of impacts on people is very strong. It's not a *might* in a far away future
But that work clearly isn’t happening elsewhere, as I say countries like China and India dwarf anything we can do here. These policies aren’t something people are going to vote for because they’re expensive, rather abstract and don’t really improve peoples’ lives on a day to day basis, hence governments won’t prioritise them.
China is decarbonising, as is India.
If you have suggestions as to how China/India/other countries can decarbonise quicker, I would love to read them (in a new thread, unless you somehow base it on the TDNS)
If the only reason you bring up China/India is to distract from a conversation about railway policy on a railway forum, I'd suggest you drop the whataboutery
This is why I get very exasperated at the Climate Change zealotry.
IMO they should concentrate on pollution - climate change is abstract and probably beyond our lifetimes, ICE pollution is killing thousands of people and harming thousands of kids right here and now.
I am not aware of a single person who has genuinely grasped what is happening with the climate crisis, who is opposed to swift and strong climate action.
Fortunately though, the answer for air pollution is to stop burning things (where things is fuel, gas, wood etc.). That is also a large part of the answer for decarbonisation.
Also, climate change is already killing people. Look at the various heatwaves that would have been impossible without climate change and the floods in Pakistan for examples over the last 12 months
Bringing stuff back to the TDNS, this would clearly help fight air pollution by removing combustion engines across the country
I wouldn't say choosing not to afford, current progress is being kept quiet but MML electrification seems to be progressing well and on budget. As such there is interest (and I think tenders being put out?) for further MML wiring and there has been more electrification announced up north. The government are just being more cautious following the high costs of GWEP.
I guess you are right in saying that some progress is happening on MML electrification. My point is just that where the TDNS isn't being followed, this is because the government decided not to, and not because of some external impossibility. One could of course argue that it is the right decision, and absolutely understand that the government is cautious after GWEP. But pretending it is unaffordable, when if the government wanted it to be affordable they could, removes the dutry from government to justify the decisions they are making, which I think isn't a good way to go.
A bigger incentive to switch to wind energy, heat pumps etc. for most is that we are less dependant on other countries for natural gas.
decarbonisation is a thing that has a LOT of cobenefits, yes. Energy independence is an important one