1 Transport

Transport accounts for around 20% of global carbon dioxide (CO₂). To combat climate change, we all need to take action to decarbonise the way we move around. In some countries, notably wealthier ones such as the UK with populations that travel often, transport can be one of the largest segments of an individual’s carbon footprint Which form of transport has the smallest carbon footprint? (Source: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/carbon-footprint-travel-mode)

But simply reducing air travel, as is often thought, will not solve the problem. In the UK, surface transport – particularly motor vehicles – is the single largest generator of carbon emissions, accounting for 24% of all emissions in 2019 UK Climate Change Committee 2019 Progress Report. 

See also this article: Planes or cars – which pollutes the most?

Beyond carbon footprint, the effects of car pollution are widespread, affecting the air we breathe and our health. But they also affect the soil and water quality. Nitrous oxide contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer, which shields the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide mix with rainwater to create acid rain, which damages crops, forests and other vegetation and buildings. Oil and fuel spills from cars and trucks seep into the soil near highways, and discarded fuel and particulates from vehicle emissions contaminate lakes, rivers and wetlands. (See Effects of car pollutants on the environment, and  WHO on health effects of transport-related air pollution.

Electric cars, new cars – and the issue of SUVs

Although electric cars will start to become the norm, they will still contribute to particulate pollution from wear and tear of brakes and tyres (with abrasion from road surfaces). In Lewes, Transition Town Lewes has taken the initiative, hosting electric car events and discussing their advantages and drawbacks:  Hosting of an electric car event and Myths about electric cars

Meanwhile, the environmental costs of car production and the increasingly popular SUVs are a new source of emissions. SUVs require more energy to move around than smaller cars, overshadowing any gains from fuel efficiency and electric vehicles. A new report  reveals that ‘Chelsea tractors’, those large urban SUVs, really are in Chelsea. ¾ of all SUVs in the UK are registered to people living in towns/cities, being most popular in the London boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Westminster. It’s a luxury/lifestyle choice, but the off-road facilities (heavy extra equipment, huge engine, high fuel consumption) are a pure status symbol for most of these owners.

Some references on SUVs:

Sports Utility Vehicles – time to run them out of town? 

How SUVs conquered the world – at the expense of its climate

SUVs are way worse for the planet than anyone previously thought 

Making a new car creates as much carbon pollution as driving it

The role of hydrogen

Hydrogen fuel has been promoted as a solution that will free us from fossil fuels and their use in transport. It will be an important component where there is no other low-carbon alternative, and potentially for heavy goods vehicles and shipping. Its production and use in low-carbon economies has been scrutinised by Friends of the Earth: The role of hydrogen in our low-carbon transition.

See also Transition Town Lewes’s take on this: 10 things hydrogen can, could and can’t do for us.

Moving to active travel

The Energy Savings Trust focuses on active travel, setting out a  sustainable travel hierarchy as a useful tool to help us think about improving the impact of our journeys. The higher up the hierarchy, the more sustainable and greener the travel option.

(Source: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/active-travel/)

National action groups

World Car-Free Day (22 Sept 2021) , aimed at re-imagining what streets could be like without traffic, where you don’t have to ‘watch your back’ for cars and where streets are quieter and more people get out and walk and cycle

Friends of the Earth on getting people out of their cars on the fundamental role of transport, and increasing use of private cars, with the implications for climate change and other issues

The urgent case for local buses

The recent Government proposal to spend £3 billion on local bus services is welcome; but if we are serious about tackling the climate emergency we must raise our ambitions higher than propping up a failing bus service with a one-off injection of cash. By observing models of efficient public transport from Switzerland and Germany, we can design a bus service that is fit to tackle the climate emergency and end social exclusion and inequality caused by car dependence in rural communities.

A report from the Campaign to Protect Rural England  lays out in detail how this can be done, including the requirement that we must invest in public transport as a ‘Public Good’. This means advocating a universal right to public transport and the creation of statutory duties to provide it.

According to the CPRE research, £3 billion additional funding every year would be enough to deliver a service to every village, every hour, with affordable fares. Social, economic and environmental benefits give revenue expenditure on bus services a return on investment of up to £3.80 for every £1 spent. Using buses rather than private cars reduces air pollution, pollution from tyre and brake wear, traffic congestion and CO2 emission, while increasing physical exercise (in walking to/from bus stops). There is a direct correlation between improvement in bus services and reductions in social deprivation. Provision of local buses allows low-income and disabled people, particularly in our villages, to get affordably to work or places of education and to shop in local high streets.

Train Travel

We should consider train travel as an alternative to driving, particularly for business travel.

Trainline has recently launched a business travel platform to help make it easier to travel by train for business.