Greener Vision: Pathways to Net Zero 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].
In its 2024 Progress Report to Parliament the Climate Change Committee concluded that the UK was not on track to achieve the 2030 target of a 68% reduction in emissions. The annual reduction in surface transport emissions needs to be more than four times the small (0.9%) reduction achieved in 2023 for the rest of this decade.[i]
Greener Vision: Pathways to Net Zero draws on extensive research and consultations to identify what would be a credible, politically deliverable framework for decarbonising transport. The research concluded that urgent focus is needed on behaviour change and traffic reduction, and that the following guiding principles should underpin net zero transport policy:
- We need a whole systems approach to net zero
- We must reduce energy demand
- We should price properly for carbon
- We must ensure a fair and just transition
- We must strengthen delivery across the UK
Achieving net zero transport will require a radical shift in approach. We need a whole-systems approach to transport decarbonisation that reflects the shift to digital connectivity, and the integration of transport with land-use planning, energy, green finance and the trip generating sectors of the economy such as health, education and employment. We must price properly for carbon whilst ensuring a fair and just transition, and we must strengthen delivery across the UK.
The report argues that ‘policy as usual’ won’t achieve net zero targets. We need a paradigm shift in terms of how we think about decarbonising transport and our wider economy. We need new thinking, creative solutions and systemic change.
Climate policy should be informed by five key ‘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
