The Government is being urged to take action to recognise the link between transport and global warming – and take urgent action.

Campaign group Transport 2000 welcomed the move by Liberal Democrats in February 2005 to raise climate change in an opposition debate in Parliament.

T2000 said the Government was way off target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent by 2010 and that it still refused to draw a link between travel behaviour and disruption to the climate.

Emissions due to transport are rising sharply thanks to increased car use and air travel both of which the Government has failed to curb.

Road traffic and aviation are the fastest growing sources of climate change gases. But the Government is frightened of losing votes by pointing out the connection between personal travel habits and the need to tackle climate change and protect the environment.

T2000 Director Stephen Joseph said: “The Government leads the world in rhetoric on climate change but cannot claim to be serious about tackling it until it looks openly and honestly at transport in our own country.

"Climate change is not a distant issue: it is the car trip to work or the foreign holiday prompted by cheap flights. It’s time this connection was made.

 “It is not enough to hope that technology will be the solution. The Government should set its own house in order by urgently reviewing its plans for increased road building and airport expansion.”

Road transport makes up around 21 per cent of total man-made carbon dioxide emissions in the UK. Source: RAC report 2003

The 73 per cent increase in road traffic between 1980 and 2002 has resulted in a 39 per cent increase in greenhouse gas emissions from transport, which now accounts for 26 per cent of total UK emissions.

Two-thirds of people now understand that transport emissions are a major factor contributing to climate change. Source: Department for Transport Transport Trends 2002

Globally we need to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent by 2050 if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change. Source: Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

Information from Transport 2000 steve.hounsham at transport2000.org.uk
 
Transport 2000 Ltd, The Impact Centre, 12-18 Hoxton Street, London N1 6NG Tel: 020 7613 0743 Fax: 020 7613 5280

Website: www.transport2000.org.uk