“The transport industry has shaped its product: the user.”

The author of *Energy and Equity*, Ivan Illich (1926–2002), an Austrian priest and later philosopher, tells us that no engine is as energy-efficient (and thermodynamically efficient) as the bicycle. He concludes that a country is under-equipped if it cannot provide its population with cycle paths as well as cheap, low-consumption auxiliary engines.

The task now is to build an active mobility highway or ‘cyclostrade’ – a four-lane cycle route plus a pedestrian lane – WITH A FULLY PERMEABLE SURFACE stretching from east to west across the entire Eurasian continent. Why: precisely to combat climate change and protect biodiversity. This major, game-changing project, made possible by your donations, contributions and collaboration, will mark a significant and practical step forward in our collective commitment to neutralising and permanently phasing out costly and polluting modes of transport.

According to the IPCC, global CO2 emissions must be drastically reduced. Consequently, MOBILACTIV < www.mobilityactive.org > guides you towards a more environmentally friendly future through the use of cycling and other forms of soft mobility. So, explore our articles without further delay to learn more about the environmental impact and benefits of an active lifestyle.

In short, if we all come together around this project, we will take concrete action, eachaccording to our means, to protect the biosphere and combat the squandering of the food, mineral and energy resources that the Earth provides for all its inhabitants. This multinational project to link European and Asian capitals via an active mobility highway ( * ) will serve as a blueprint for a new form of sustainable habitability for the Earth. Admittedly, to reduce our ecological footprint on the lithosphere in a profound and decisive manner, gentler and more environmentally friendly travel for citizens and the transport of goods will still need to rely on more virtuous developments of green public spaces and the construction of buildings and structures on piles and stilts. Construction that causes no harm to living organisms, ecosystems, biotopes, air, water or subsoil (see ‘Des sols et des hommes, un lien menacé’by Alain Ruellan, IRD Éditions, 2010) are further collateral paradigms to be devised in a sober, practical, resilient and sustainable manner, such as the active mobility highway ( * ). The best consensus would be to build footbridges on pylons, buildings on stilts and entirely permeable road surfaces.

MOBILACTIV < www.mobilityactive.org > is committed to promoting and spreading the active mobility highway ( * ). Because the use of clean or eco-mobile vehicles amounts to revolutionising transport from top to bottom, and all travel within an ecological framework of active living. Inspired by the IPCC’s findings on the need to reduce CO2 emissions, we firmly believe that the active mobilityhighway ( * )plays a crucial role in the fight against climate change. Our articles cover a variety of topics, ranging from health benefits to environmental impact, as well as practical advice on integrating eco-mobility into your daily life. We are passionate about creating a committed and informed community, ready to take concrete steps towards a greener future. Join us on this journey and discover how the active mobility highway ( * ) with permeable surfaces can transform your life and our planet.

This active mobility highway ( * ) project is at the very heart of decarbonisation efforts and, in the long term, sets us on the logical path towards a paradigm shift that will help reverse current climate change. By this we mean that the pollution of the soil, rivers and the air we breathe every day will be reduced, thanks to the crowdfunding target achieved over the next 20 months. Indeed, our first step is to raise the sum of €190,000.00 in less than 24 months. This fundraising campaign, which will be followed by a meeting of all donors and volunteers, will mark the start of a second phase: the creation of a multinational civil engineering consultancy dedicated exclusively to the construction of active mobility* motorways across the entire Eurasian continent, connecting every capital city.

To lead this project, I am supported by two German teammates: Marion, an ecologist and florist, and Horst, a sports instructor and IT specialist, who will be responsible for keeping the crowdfunding campaign updated until its conclusion. My role, travelling by bicycle and trailer along the Silk Roads, will be to meet and raise awareness among future Eurasian contributors. This journey will take me in July 2025 from Wallerfangen in Germany to Xi’an (and Luoyang) in China and, in the best-case scenario, will bring me back in December 2026 to Wallerfangen (and Reims in France) in Germany.

Route: Xi’an [12,800 km] – Lanzhou – Xining – Yumen – Turfan – Ürümqi – Karachahr – Radenci – Kucha – Aksu – Dunhuang – Miran – Cherchen – Niya – Khotan or Hotan – Yarkand – Kashgar – Osh – Khujand – Samarkand – Bukhara – Mary (Merv) – Bojnurd – Gorgan – Rasht – Salyan – Mingäçevir – Tbilisi – Rize – Samsun – Istanbul – Edirne – Athens – Sofia – Belgrade – Zagreb – Vienna – Warsaw – Berlin – Amsterdam – Brussels – Paris – Luxembourg – Karlsruhe – Nuremberg – Wallerfangen and Reims [0 km]

Active mobility ( * )

Allmodes of transport requiring human or animal power. For example: Walking; Cycling; E-bike; S-Pedelec; Horse-drawn vehicle (pulled by one or more animals); Electric-assisted land vehicle compliant with the European E-bike standard (power is cut off when the vehicle reaches 25 km/h); Electric-assisted land vehicle complying with the European S-pedelec standard (power is cut off when the vehicle reaches 45 km/h); Wheelchair; Skateboard; Rollerblades; Large scooter; Rosalie and Cuistax; Land vehicle (bicycle)...