Greenpeace urges Europe to drop short flights, take trains

BRUSSELS (AP) — A study commissioned by the environmental group Greenpeace shows that over one-third of the busiest short-haul flights in Europe have viable train alternatives which are far less polluting. The group called on European governments Wednesday to boost train travel so fewer polluting planes are flying over the continent. The study by OBC Transeuropa showed that 34% of the 150 busiest short-haul flights have train trip alternatives of less than 6 hours. The study also identified air routes with flights that the authors said can emit a dozen times more carbon dioxide than trains would. Greenpeace released the study ahead of a U.N. climate change summit that opens in Glasgow, Scotland on Sunday.