This report by Claire Haigh calls for a new approach to the climate crisis and radical shift for decarbonising transport.
Transport is the fastest growing source of global greenhouse GHG emissions and the UK’s biggest polluting sector. Emissions from road transport – 95% of the UK’s transport total – have hardly changed since 1990. Vehicles efficiency gains have been largely offset by larger vehicles and rising demand. SUV registrations could make up 75% of new registrations by 2027[ii].
The Climate Change Committee says the annual reduction in surface transport emissions for the rest of this decade needs to be more than four times the small (0.9%) reduction in 2023.[i]
The UK is not on track to achieve the 2030 target of a 68% reduction in emissions. The report draws on extensive research and consultations to identify what would be a credible, politically deliverable framework for decarbonising transport. The key conclusions are that urgent focus is needed on behaviour change, including a reduction in car use by 2030 of around a quarter. Achieving this will require a radical shift in approach.
The report argues that ‘policy as usual’ won’t achieve net zero targets. We need new thinking, creative solutions and systemic change. Climate policy should be informed by five ‘Pillars of Unity’:
- Seeing the whole picture – we need to become more honest and self-aware about our decision-making.
- Integrating heart and mind – we need to engage our emotional brains in climate change
- Being at one with nature – we need a radical realignment of how we perceive ourselves in relation to the environment on which we depend.
- Healing the whole system – we need to address the root causes of climate change: our addiction to fossil fuels.
- Becoming citizens of ‘One World’ – we need to connect with our natural empathy and respect for each other and all living species.
[i] https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Progress-in-reducing-emissions-2024-Report-to-Parliament-Web.pdf
[ii] https://www.transportenvironment.org/te-united-kingdom/articles/uk-suv-sales-have-increased-by-more-than-a-fifth-in-one-year
