The Climate Change Committee (CCC) today published a report clearly showing that cutting transport emissions fast is crucial for meeting the UK’s climate targets. The aviation sector is on course to be the UK’s most polluting sector, making up 27% of UK emissions in 2040, according to the report which also warns against growing aviation demand until green technologies are scaled up. T&E calls on the UK government to scrap plans to expand Heathrow and Gatwick and instead focus on scaling up critically needed green aviation fuels.
The report acknowledges that supplies of sustainable jet fuels will be constrained, however, it prioritises unproven carbon capture over demand management and firm proposals to accelerate scale up of green fuels.
On ships, the CCC recommends an extension of the UK’s carbon market to all larger ships making UK port calls. On Tuesday, T&E showed that an expanded ETS could raise £1bn a year. T&E has criticised the government for being over-reliant on global measures at the International Maritime Organization, which at best could deliver around half the 2030 emissions reduction target for the sector. The UK needs to include shipping in its ETS as part of a wider framework independent of the IMO, advises T&E.
The CCC’s recommendation to establish a regulation to decarbonise trucks has been welcomed by T&E, which could provide investment certainty to the sector and deliver £2.4 billion of growth to the UK while slashing emissions. However, CCC’s pathway includes increased biodiesel uptake. With the UK heavily reliant on imports of key feedstocks like used cooking oil, this could leave the UK’s decarbonisation efforts vulnerable to fraud and driving global deforestation.
Anna Krajinska, UK director at T&E, said: “As the UK’s own advisors are warning against runaway aviation emissions, the government is committing to airport expansion. By letting air travel off the hook the government risks putting the burden on other sectors to cut their emissions and being reliant on unproven carbon capture. With just half of Britons flying every year, this would be incredibly unfair. The government should go ahead with the CCC’s recommendation to extend its carbon market to shipping which would bring in billions of pounds of revenues. And as the CCC’s report acknowledges, it’s finally time to set trucks on a zero emission trajectory."
Reaction from T&E’s partners at the Clean Cities Campaign
Oliver Lord, UK Head of Clean Cities Campaign said, “It’s clear that emissions reductions from transport are critical to keep us on track for net zero. Excellent progress in other sectors shows that major reductions are possible.
The number of vans on our roads has skyrocketed in recent years, worsening carbon emissions and air pollution in our cities. The committee is right to stress that we must quickly implement policies and incentives to boost electric van uptake, which is lagging in the UK.
This government doesn’t need to look far for solutions. A national framework for zero-emission freight in the Netherlands has empowered cities and businesses to work together to transform urban logistics and accelerate the sales of electric vans to around twice that of the UK.”
