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Research commissioned by Eurostar, but flagged up as “the most accurate ever” (with allowances made, for example, for how many people are really making the trip, not ‘ideal’ figures) show that flying between London, Paris and Brussels generates ten times more carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions than going by train.
In a seperate survey into attitudes to travel and climate change made by polling organisation YouGov, 41% of those asked said they were "much more likely to take the train" and 39% had changed their travel habits due to worries about climate change. 3% said they had stopped flying and 6% had reduced the amount they fly. A hearty 54% said they were more concerned about the environmental impact of flying than five years ago.
Eurostar’s research calculates that a passenger on a return flight between London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle generates 122 kilograms of CO2, compared with just 11 kilograms on the return journey by train [we make that 11 times!]. A round trip between Heathrow and Brussels airport generates 160 kg of CO2 per passenger, against only 18 kg of CO2 by rail – and of course you arrive in the centre of the city!
The new high-speed St Pancras link is due to open in autumn 2007, with its 186mph trains due to cut journey times between London, Paris and Brussels by 20 minutes.
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