At the same time, there's a tremendous downside to the possibility of HS2 being created. We live in the 21st and the days of polluting the planet and worrying about it later are long gone. The international community is worried about the fate of the earth, and with good reason. Thus, all forms of new transportation need to be scrutinized in order to see if they will help or hinder the environment. This subject deserves the most careful critique as on the one hand -- any form of mass transit seems like it would be good for the environment as opposed to the single car driver. On the other hand, this is far too unique of a viewpoint to readily embrace. The supporters and leaders behind HS2 say that its fine for the environment, but this may not be the case. "However High speed rail may have higher emissions than indicated in the Act for CO2 guidance while we would think conventional fast trains 125 mph maybe lower the additional speed doubles the CO2 emitted. HS2 provide a huge variance in their predictions, their upper limit probably...

lower speed trains and assumes improved power generation average fuel mix" (Bluespace, 2010). This quote clearly reflects that the British community simply cannot greenlight this project until clearer numbers are offered about the impact the HS2 will have on the environment.
Thus, HS2 is something which offers Britain a tremendous amount of potential for bettering the lives of civilians when they're in transit, for bolstering the economy, and for meeting a growing demand. However, there are far too many environmental question marks that need to be answered before the project is given forward momentum.

References

Betterthanhs2.org. (2011). A Better Railway for Britain. betterthanhs2.org, 1-11.

Bluespace. (2010). A Review of High Speed Rail - HS2 proposals. Bluesoace.

HS2. (2011). Demand for Long Distance Travel. HS2, 2-16.

HS2. (2011). Valuing the Benefits of HS2.…