One of the most intractable problems we all face as we transition towards a low carbon economy is the issue of transport.

The problem is that but for those rather inconvenient carbon emissions energy intensive fossil fuels are pretty close to perfect for countless different forms of transport.

It is the sheer scale of this challenge - finding a solution better than engines so effective their design has seen only negligible changes in the past 50 years - that perhaps explains why attempts to develop zero carbon transport have been so fragmented with countless firms backing countless ideas.

The net result is that mainstream adoption of zero carbon planes, trains and automobiles remains decades away, but that doesn't mean that encouraging progress is not being made.

This week alone has seen a raft of developments with Airbus undertaking the first test flight of a commercial airliner using a fuel cell to power some of its electronic systems, plans to deliver an air powered car by 2010, new funding for research projects into a second generation biofuel capable of delivering a fuel similar to crude oil from waste organic matter, and, perhaps most intriguingly, reports of plans for the world's first solar powered round-the-world-flight.

Of course not everyone is on board with the push for lower carbon transport. Porsche this week decided their standing amongst environmentalists was already so poor it might as well go the whole hog and threaten to sue Mayor Ken over his congestion charge plans.

But then again when even those like Bob Lutz of GM who think climate change is a "crock of shit" can see the economic and geopolitical case for lower carbon transport there is still substantial grounds to believe the technical problems will be overcome.

In fact, Lutz's view almost makes you wish the government would start expressing scepticism over climate change as long as it combined it with just a modicum of understanding of the risks associated with energy security and peak oil.

Instead it continues on its oh so confused way – toughening up the climate change bill, cracking down on rogue offset providers and finally hinting that it might adopt a sensible means to promote onsite renewables, whilst administering swinging budget cuts across the department primarily responsible for managing the transition to a low carbon economy.

Right I'm off to see if anyone can join this carbon offsetter trade group while preparing for my media commentator debut on James Max's Sunday evening Business Matters show on LBC 97.3FM.

Have a good weekend.

Cheers,

James