Richard Branson proposes steps on reducing Russian oil use

I started restricting my speed after reading how much I could save and seeing my fill-up now costing £60.

Yes....heard a radio conversation giving optimum speeds for various models of cars to achieve minimum fuel usage. I now no longer drive any faster than 56 mph and am actually finding the experience rather pleasant.

LizzieDrip

I cannot believe the hypocrisy of the man!!! He went into space in July last year - just because he could. How much fuel did that ridiculous joyride use. Branson, either put your money where your mouth is - or keep that mouth shut?

Lizzie I could not put it better - the bearded wonder is a law unto himself

Thanks, PhilippaIII. I wasn't trying to brag, but just saying there are lots of changes we can make. I'm 74 so I've had my fair share of flying - and look back fondly on a time when flying was glamorous! I still work, but I see clients at home. My world has shrunk a lot, but I'm OK with that.

I'd like my granddaughter to grow up in a world where people aren't fighting each other over oxygen masks when all the fires are blazing, because of the rise in temperature.

Me too, Philippa111. That’s why I want people like Branson to do their bit too - rather than patronise the rest of us. It’s the hypocrisy I can’t stand! He’s telling us to turn down our thermostats etc, like some kind of eco warrior, whilst simultaneously promoting space tourism (for the millionaires of course). Once again, smacks of one rule for the super rich and another rule for the rest of us. Well, we all live on the same earth, so perhaps we should be complaining about the advent of space tourism! There’s an interesting article in the Financial Times, explaining the real costs of Branson’s space jaunts - both financial and ecological.

If only you could get to the moon on hot air Branson would be first up there. It's not enough to talk the talk. He needs to walk the walk.

LizzieDrip

I cannot believe the hypocrisy of the man!!! He went into space in July last year - just because he could. How much fuel did that ridiculous joyride use. Branson, either put your money where your mouth is - or keep that mouth shut?

I thought exactly the same ! I do think we need incentives to slow down and use wind , tidal and solar power . But I cant take it from him when hes burnt so much in vanity projects !

soldiersailor I am in total agreement with you. There is a land based oilfield near Bournmoth that has been fracking since the 1980s. Most local people do not even know it is there, let alone suffered any side effects from the fracking. It has also been used off shore in the North Sea for nearly as long.

However while the USA has got immense quantities of gas from shale geology, there have been doubts expressed recently whether the shale geology of the UK would yield anything like the same quantity. Whether other countries have these same shale gas resources I am not sure and in the end gas, is gas, is gas. It is a hydrocarbon, it is a major contributor to global warning and can only be a temporary solution to a particular circumstance.

It is also worth bearing in mind that the reason Germany is purchasing so much gas from Russia is because some years ago it decided to phase out all its nuclear power plants, a decision it is already regretting, and replace it with gas fired power stations - the gas coming from Russia. It still produces a third of its electricity from coal-fired power stations that burn brown coal and lignite, which is far more polluting than black coal.