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Climate Change & Transport Please note that due to copyright restrictions that apply to publishing this presentation on the Climate Change portal, some of the original images have been changed or removed. Dr Lee Chapman University of Birmingham Source: Fred Pearce, 'Climate Change: Menace or Myth?’, New Scientist magazine, issue 2486, 12 February 2005, page 38 Greenhouse gas emissions from the UK transport industry Source: ONS Environmental Accounts, 2003 - Figures in million tonnes of CO2 equivalent Cars (62.8) Road Freight (23.4) Buses (4.8) Taxis (2.7) Aviation (37.5) Water Transport (15) Rail (1.5) Tubes / Trams (0.8) Pipeline (0.3) C02 emissions per Passenger Kilometre Source: Strategic Rail Authority 350 CO2 (grams) 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Aviation Car Bus Rail Walking & Cycling Motor Cars • Developed world is obsessed with the motor car • Affordability has increased worldwide and therefore so have the number of cars • In the UK, 89% of motorists agreed with the statement “I would find it very difficult to adjust my lifestyle to being without a car” (Source: RAC, 2003) Motor Cars: What can we do? • Change attitudes: Modal Shift – Use Public Transport – Walking & Cycling (a quarter of all car trips are under 2 miles long!) – Home working / Local shopping • Change Policy – Congestion charging, road pricing, increase fuel taxes, car-sharing – Improved traffic management • Use Technology – Diversification of fuel: LPG, Biofuel, Hydrogen, Electric – Choose cars with high fuel efficiency – not 4x4s! Images from www.bigfoto.com Aviation • Five-fold increase in air travel over the last 30yrs and will treble again in the UK by 2030 (DfT, 2003; 2005) • Why? – Cheap & Frequent Flights – Holiday Homes / Business Trips – Air Freight Image from www.bigfoto.com • A holidaymaker flying to Florida and back creates as much CO2 as the average British motorist does in a year (Friends of the Earth) • Short haul flights are very inefficient Aviation • Overall effect on climate is 5X greater than that of CO2 alone – mainly because of emissions directly into the upper levels of the atmosphere: – – – – – CO2 (‘well mixed’) Ozone Methane Water Vapour Contrails Contrails image from www.nasa.gov Aviation: What can we do? • Change Attitudes: Modal Shift – Use Rail for short haul – 10 times less polluting – Shipping for freight • Change Policy – – – – Emissions charging / trading Not included in the Kyoto Protocol Optimise existing capacity Fly at lower levels • Use Technology – Improved aircraft design – Reduce fuel burn – Alternative fuels? Other Modes • Rail – Still polluting, but a cleaner alternative for freight and passengers. – Requires significant investment – Electric rail in place of Diesel? • Shipping Image:mazhewit at www.flickr.com – Relatively environmentally friendly – Cleaner fuels are available – Slow mode of transport • Buses – Often the only alternative to cars – Needs subsidies to be attractive – Priority routing / Park & Rides etc Image: www.pics4learning.com ‘Zero Carbon’ Modes • Walking & Cycling – Needs to be a real alternative – a quarter of all car trips are under 2 miles long! – Cycles lanes, pedestrian zones improved storage facilities, walking buses, etc… Summary • Behavioural Change Image:ratherbebiking at www.Flickr.com – Modal Shift – Zero Carbon Journeys – Prompted by Government • Sustainable environments – Urban Sprawl Image:malias at www.flickr.com