This isn’t Euston station. That’s too much of a mess to be worth showing in a photograph. But plans are afoot for big improvements up there, and King’s Cross, just down the road (seen here in early 2017, should be the inspiration. The wonder at King’s Cross is the space. There is no cluttering structure, just a… Continue reading
After the Beatles, will Elphie be the new sound of Hamburg?
Why the Elbphilharmonie, on the banks of the river Elbe in Hamburg, cost ten times the original figure, and took six years longer to build than the first estimate, is likely to matter less and less after its formal opening on January 11th, 2017. The venue is as imposing and spectacular as most new performance centres seem to… Continue reading →
KPMG survey points to revolution in autonomous driving by 2025
Watch a prime-time drama on ITV on a Sunday evening and it will be crammed with car adverts. We are offered a pleasurable experience with friends and family in comfortable seats, supported by vaguely useful in-car gadgets and, always, the promise of the open road. It’s flannel and fluff, and we all know it. We… Continue reading →
Fresh hope for pioneering tidal power lagoon in Swansea Bay
An independent review to be published on Thursday, January 12th is said to be “broadly positive towards the £1.3bn plan for a pioneering tidal power lagoon in Swansea Bay. Given the government’s support for the hugely expensive Hinkley C nuclear power station, which will require high public subsidy for the costly (compared to fossil fuels)… Continue reading →
Travel writers need to put more emphasis on green tourism
How are we to square our desire to travel to indulgent hotels next to distant exotic beaches, with the imperative to conserve the planet and to hold back climate change? 2017 was, as too easily predicted, the warmest year on record. The Arctic ice cap retreated alarmingly. The Great Barrier Reef suffered a serious episode… Continue reading →
Costa Rica’s conservation ethos driving it up green tourism league
Costa Rica is emerging as a leading destination for green tourism. The extensive rainforest will play a vital part in counteracting global warming, serving as a vast bio-sink to soak up carbon dioxide. Tourists create CO2 by flying. But they are an important part of the solution. They provide the cash, and the incentive, to… Continue reading →