The high-speed trains in China are the envy of many countries, providing efficient mass transportation across the country via a network that is largely powered by electricity.
But with high speeds comes a bit of a bumpy ride, right? Well, one Redditor posted a video that shows just how smooth a bullet-train journey can be, even while traveling at a high speed.
The person in the video demonstrates that they can balance a coin on its edge on the window ledge next to where they are sitting while the train hits 154 mph. The coin barely moves a millimeter.
The footage drew some stunned comments. "Meanwhile in Canada we get shaken up like a champagne bottle going 80km (50mph)," one Redditor observed.
Another Redditor was floored by another feature of the Chinese train: "I'm more amazed at the leg room."
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggested in a report that in order to curb our reliance on planet-overheating dirty energy sources like jet fuel, intercity trips that are frequently covered by shorter flights could instead be done via high-speed electric railways powered by renewable energy sources, like solar and wind power.
China decarbonising transportation systems faster than any other nation:
— Prof Ray Wills👋 (@ProfRayWills) August 8, 2023
electric cars: 34% sales EVs in July, 2/3 world's #EVs
electric buses: 84% bus fleet EVs (600k/712k buses)
electric car chargers: 1 charger/8 EVs
42,000km high speed rail
Repeat after me: we don't need oil https://t.co/Cu5E80MRlZ pic.twitter.com/sloFHnm451
Of course, this would require significant railway infrastructure investment in a number of countries, and the construction alone would generate a lot of pollution. Still, the long-term impact of increasing electric rail travel would reduce harmful gas pollution and outweigh the short-term issue.
One notable issue with China's high-speed electric railways is how they derive their power.
Research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as reported on by China Dialogue, found that the pollution stemming from China's railways is perhaps higher than anticipated because coal is predominantly used in the country for the creation of electricity. However, as China continues to exceed its own ambitious clean energy goals by adding more renewable energy to its power grid, the pollution level should become less of an issue.
Either way, electric high-speed rail travel should be the future of transportation for nations across the world that want to limit planet-overheating gas pollution in order to cool down our planet.
Let's just hope that, like the high-speed rail in China, it's a smooth ride to get to that point.
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