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AS THE world struggles to fend off climate meltdown, the race to build a car that can travel faster than sound (see “The 1000 mph car”) might seem crass. The British contender, Bloodhound SSC, slurps around 50 litres of fuel – enough to fill up a family car – for every 2500 metres it travels. Yet there is reason to celebrate these monsters – as an inspiration for tomorrow’s scientists and engineers, without whom we will have no chance of creating a low-carbon economy. Set against the potential gains, the carbon emitted by a few polluting runs is a small price to pay.…