Greener Vision Insight Page 8

Decarbonisation – an act of reciprocity

Published on: 15th September 2020 by Frazer Henderson.

Without the distractions that tend to make life hectic the recent lockdown has provided an opportunity for reflection and contemplation and a chance to gain a deeper, perhaps more insightful, perspective of the issues that confront us all. I used the occasion to spend some of the enforced confinement in expanding the range of my…

Best Friends Forever: shared transport and decarbonisation

Published on: 10th September 2020 by Richard Dilks.

It is super-welcome to see decarbonisation rise up the political agenda. Better late than never. Yet it is of course neither a new topic nor the first time it has come to prominence in the UK. The solutions that enable us to cut greenhouse gas emissions are mostly not new either. What would be new…

2050 is far too late. We must decarbonise our roads over the next ten years. It can be done.

Published on: 8th September 2020 by Dr Ashok Sinha.

Would you decide the fate of today’s young and future generations on the toss of coin? No, nor would I. But that’s exactly what we are doing when it comes to climate change. The UK’s recently declared target of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 is undoubtedly a step up in ambition; yet, as the…

Getting to net zero

Published on: 3rd September 2020 by Dieter Helm.

How do we get to net zero? The easy bit is passing the legislation for a 2050 net zero target. The difficult bit is working out what needs to be done, and how to make a difference to global warming. The Climate Change Committee tells us that “by reducing emissions produced in the UK to…

The Road to Net Zero: Can hydrogen vehicles pave the way?

Published on: 1st September 2020 by Jodie Dunz.

Chances are you or someone you know has uttered the words ‘my next car will be electric‘. And why not? The environmental benefits of electric vehicles (EV) are clear and significant global investment is carrying EVs into the mainstream. However, much like road testing a car, one size does not fit all. The logistics sector…

We will not have clean air without a cleaner transport system

Published on: 27th August 2020 by Andrea Lee.

In the next ten years, if all goes to plan, we could see the sale of new diesel and petrol cars phased out in this country as part of wider efforts to decarbonise our transport system in the quest to address the climate emergency. But what about our health in the meantime? Legal limits for…

Does community engagement hold the key to transport decarbonisation and building back better?

Published on: 25th August 2020 by Jools Townsend.

We are at a critical juncture with transport, and how we approach the myriad challenges of rebuilding from Covid-19 has far-reaching consequences. People’s eyes have been opened to the difference it makes if we have quieter streets, if we walk or cycle more, and if we interact and pull together locally. Opportunities have opened up…

Let’s seize the chance to decarbonise transport

Published on: 20th August 2020 by Darren Shirley.

There’s no getting around it: when it comes to reducing carbon emissions, transport is not doing well. In the UK, domestic transport emits more carbon than any other sector, but the good news is that the Government has recognised this and resolved to act through its Decarbonising Transport Plan. Back in March, when it announced…

Decarbonising transport outside cities

Published on: 18th August 2020 by Stephen Joseph.

In discussions about transport and decarbonisation, there is a strongly expressed view from some quarters that while it might be possible to decarbonise transport in cities, outside these there is no alternative to cars for any of the journeys people make and that any attempts to reduce car use outside cities are unrealistic. Yet the…

Rethinking the way we design bus services for a sustainable, inclusive future

Published on: 13th August 2020 by Sam Ryan.

Mass transport is vital not only for decarbonisation but also for an inclusive, congestion-free future. Without effective mass transport (alongside active travel), our towns and cities will grind to a halt and many people will become excluded from society – unable to reach work or education. Yet, our public transport systems face a crisis in…

It’s time to step out of our silos

Published on: 11th August 2020 by Jenni Wiggle.

In ‘Decarbonising Transport: Setting the Challenge’, Government takes the welcome approach of viewing all modes of transport together. Ensuring that more trips can be made by foot is a crucial part of the solution – and the new cycling and walking plan for England ‘Gear Change’ is a step in the right direction too. But more needs to be done. The National Travel Survey for England shows that almost 80% of journeys under a mile…

Zero emissions experiments

Published on: 6th August 2020 by Dr Rachel Aldred.

I recently participated in the DfT roundtables on decarbonising transport. I recorded a short video as part of this, making the case for a radical policy experiment to trial a substantial shift away from car use. We need radical thinking about policy implementation, because we need to go much further and faster than current European…