Would a compromise in this debate, be to build a modern conventional rail line? Bends could be slightly sharper, so being more easily accommodated within the existing landscape. Perhaps†include several extra stations along the proposed route; it would be marginally less noisy and could carry freight during the night and probably cheaper? Much of the passenger overcrowding experienced at the moment is on the commuter lines, many of which HS2 will have little or no bearing upon.
On the energy front, how much more energy will the proposed HS2 use, in comparison with say conventional trains or the Eurostar or Javelin trains currently in service through Kent? Do the HS2 costings take into account the vast amount of energy required to manufacture and to construct the new line? HS2 is likely to further fragment the countryside and natural environment. Relatively speaking, the UK is a small island. France, Spain and China have the room to accommodate such large infrastructure projects and where speed is required to reduce the travel time over much greater distances.
PS. Incidentally, I am a railway fan and enjoy travelling by train!