In this plan, “Greens Announce Bold Plan To Ensure NZ Transport Tackles Climate Change” CEAC challenges Green Party to consider using ‘Rail Freight’ in large amounts now, to tackle ‘Climate Change’, as their policy does not explicitly show they are planning for large scale shift to rail in their only cloudy reference to ‘Heavy freight’ they say, “Set standards and incentivise heavy freight to transition to zero emissions vehicles and be 100% powered by renewable energy by 2050.” This is way short of our need for urgent action on climate change, as we are now running out of time.

Importantly switching to use of rail now will give our community cleaner air and improve our health and wellbeing, there is the proof of the serious health issues the Green Party must consider why we need to switch to rail now and reduce the serious toxic particulate pollution emissions from truck diesel burning and tyre dust emissions communities are now threatened by more use of road freight. This Harvard analysis is the first nationwide study to show a statistical link, revealing a 'large overlap' between COVID-19 deaths and other diseases associated with long-term exposure to air pollution of fine particulate matter.

Coronavirus patients in areas that had high levels of air pollution before the pandemic are more likely to die from the infection than patients in cleaner parts of the country, according to a new nationwide study that offers the first clear link between long-term exposure to pollution and COVID-19 death rates.

In an analysis of 3,080 U.S. counties, researchers at the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that higher levels of the tiny, dangerous particles in air known as PM 2.5 were associated with higher death rates from the disease.

For weeks, public health officials have surmised a link between dirty air and death or serious illness from COVID-19, which is caused by the coronavirus. The Harvard analysis is the first nationwide study to show a statistical link, revealing a “large overlap” between COVID-19 deaths and other diseases associated with long-term exposure to fine particulate matter.

“The results of this paper suggest that long-term exposure to air pollution increases vulnerability to experiencing the most severe COVID-19 outcomes,” the authors wrote.

· This evidence is yet another case for increasing the use of rail freight over road freight;

· To lower air pollution particulates ‘save public health’ in this new Harvard study.

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