by Andrew Miller
30. April 2009 09:29
It turns out that Tokaido Shinkansen (Japan's 'Bullet' Trains) is comparatively a very green way to travel. We stumbled across this interesting piece of trivia...
When you buy a bullet train ticket, it comes in a small envelope. Written on the envelope is a short paragraph on the fact that CO2 emissions from traveling by Shinkansen is about 1/8th that of airplanes, touting itself as an 'environmentally friendly transportation system'. It provides more details: If it takes 100 units of CO2 emissions to move one person for a distance of one kilometer distance using local trains, travel by the Bullet train emits only 81 units in comparison, while air travel emits 653 units.
Cynical marketing ploy, or ingenious carbon-footprint reduction? Better still, why can't it be both?
