China's High Speed Train

A few days ago, on December 26th, the high-speed train line between the Chinese cities of Wuhan and Guangzhou was inaugurated. Here are some facts:

• The distance covered is 968 kilometres (602 miles). That's about 2.5 times the distance between London and Paris - or slightly less than twice the distance between LA and San Francisco.
• The average speed is 313 km/h (194 mph) - the fastest train until now, France's TGV, runs at an average speed of 279 km/h (173 mph).
• The time for the full journey is 3 hours, 8 minutes. The same trip, by airplane, takes 1 hour and 30 minutes - but with check-in, security screening, boarding time, and trip to and from the airport considered, the time for the full journey is closer to 4 hours.
• The ticket for the full journey costs between $70 and $115 US dollars. By comparison, a flight is $300 dollars - without accounting for the trip from the city centre to the airport.
• And last, but not least... the German-designed, Chinese-made trains are electric.

Rail transport is a great way to reduce a country's carbon footprint. More people and goods can be moved between places on a single train than on a convoy of trailers or an airplane, even the largest one, using less fuel. If the train is moved with electric power, this effect is magnified. Even more so if the electricity is generated by wind, solar, hydro, or nuclear means - all of these areas where China is investing heavily(PDF).

Electric vehicles powered by renewable sources. That's where we should be headed. That's what European countries are slowly aiming for. That's what many in the US wish, and it is only a matter of time before will meets desire (there are already plans for a high-speed rail link between LA and San Francisco). And let's not forget that less dependance on oil and gas will make all societies freer. Reducing the weight that fossil fuels have in current geopolitics will lead to loss of power for many a repressive and authoritarian regime (think Venezuela, Iran, or Saudi Arabia - states where a very small elite holds on to power thanks to revenues from the sale of oil and gas). And the environmental benefits are not to be ignored, either.

China is widely regarded as an environmental disaster in the making. And yet, they are the ones showing the rest of the world where should we be heading.

Many countries are happy to distance themselves from the evil things the Chinese government is known to do: human rights abuses, repression, even outright murder. I agree with that distancing, and encourage it (and am thankful for it). Now, let's just hope the West is wise enough to recognise not only the evils, but also the goods, and pursue the latter as much as we avoid the former.