Written by Robyn McSharry, Coventry University Student Ambassador.
Running between 17 to 23 June 2024, Better Transport Week is a celebration of sustainable transport. Learn more about their campaign here.
Transport is an essential sector, with millions travelling to school, work and for leisure every day. So how do we making one of the most polluting industries more sustainable?
The UK Department for Transport reported that domestic transport emitted 109 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) in 2021. Transport emitted 26% of the UK’s total emissions in 2021. Domestic transport emissions are a quarter of the UK’s transportation emissions, while 74-75% of UK transport emissions come from international transport such as shipping and aviation for imports, exports and travel. Reducing the UK’s pollution from domestic and international transport would help the country achieve three Global Sustainable Development Goals. These are Good Health and Well-being (3), Affordable and Clean Energy (7), Climate Action (13), Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (9).
In 2022, 68-78% of journeys within the UK were made by car, generally among those who commute to work. The obvious environmental effects of too many private automobiles are pollution, including nitrous oxides, particulates and carbon dioxide emissions which can contribute to people’s risks of heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and respiratory infections. Less reliance on cars would help achieve Sustainable Development Goals 1; No Poverty by increasing access to workplaces, 10; Reduced Inequalities, through access to services for people without cars, and 11; Sustainable Cities and Communities, which are safer, more inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
From 2030, selling new petrol and diesel vehicles would have been illegal in the UK. By 2035, it would only have been legal to sell zero-emissions vehicles as part of a broader agenda to phase out combustion vehicles by 2040. In September 2023, Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak announced that the ban on new combustion vehicles would be delayed until 2035 to ‘ease the costs on households of replacing combustion engines’. This U-turn was widely criticised for delaying climate change mitigation. This tactic aimed to delay progress in EV was pointed out by environmentalists, however merely replacing all private combustion engines is not enough to tackle climate change.
The flight emissions from private jets owned by billionaires such as Elon Musk and Taylor Swift have become more common topics of conversation in recent years. The Covid-19 lockdowns promoted these discussions, where the worlds elite weren’t forced to abide by the rules. While the number of people flying economy dropped by 74% during the lockdowns, the number of flights in private jets only dropped by 42%. By August 2020, public flights returned to 65% of pre-pandemic levels while private flights returned to 94%. Taylor Swift’s private jet emitted 8300 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2022, or 576 times that of the average American!
With that amount of journeys and C02- Taylor, you can’t shake that off easily. Source – Taylor Swift Facing Backlash After Her Private Jet Usage Was Exposed (buzzfeednews.com)
Flights
Whilst Taylor Swift’s private jet emissions is an exaggerated example and, as other musicians travel for work. A 34-year-old should know that Mum and Dad’s Christmas Tree Farm will not ‘offset’ her flights. Therefore, it is better to examine how to outlaw such lifestyles, not to mention systemic problems such as ghost flights, meaning empty flights devoid of passengers, which, in short, are due to rules that airlines must use their flight slots 80% of the time, even when cancelled during the lockdowns. Flying will consistently remain an issue with millions of Brits looking for a summer break to escape the wet weather, likely caused by effects of climate change – a catch 22.
On the 23rd of May 2023, France banned flights within the borders, doable within 2.5 hours by train, and was closely followed by Spain on the 4th of March 2024. A Citizen’s Assembly, meaning a panel of 150 citizens to recommend new climate policies proposed France’s ban on internal flights. Spain’s was made in Congress as part of an agreement by their coalition government, as the country has considered internal flight bans since 2021 as part of its 2050 climate action plan. Both countries have significantly lower train fares than the UK, strengthening the case to ban domestic flights.
Public Transport
The solution to Transport Emissions in the UK should include a ban on domestic flights as flying from Glasgow to London as a single passenger has seven times the carbon footprint of travelling by coach, six times the carbon footprint of travelling by train, and almost double the carbon footprint of completing the journey in a petrol or diesel car. This should include cheap, reliable and accessible trains and buses. In Spain and France, the state-owned railway companies, Renfe and the Société Nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF), operate 45 to 51% of the passenger and rail freight services.
Renfe train fares change constantly but France has fixed ticket prices. Still, the UK’s rail fares cost 30% more per passenger kilometre than other parts of Europe and have been privatised for 30 years. In 1994, they were reported to be 40% more efficient than the national railways of France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden. The exact opposite was reported in 2011 after 17 years of privatisation, as profits are given to shareholders rather than reinvested in improving services and maintenance: one of the reasons for the railway strikes, as rail companies looked to lay off rail maintenance workers.
A common site in rail stations around the UK – Source: GWR rail signal ‘chaos’ on first day of new timetable – BBC News (bbci.co.uk)
Electric Vehicles
Electric Vehicles can help reduce pollution from transport. They do not emit nitrous oxide and tailpipe particulates. However, they aren’t the silver bullet to pollution from transport that the formulaic dramatic card adverts would have you believe. The International Energy Agency estimates that raw material consumption per electric vehicle is five times higher than for internal combustion vehicles. Mining lithium, cobalt and manganese for electric car batteries can exacerbate deforestation, soil erosion, and water, land and air pollution from dust, carbon dioxide and methane emissions. Cheap trains and better-staffed bus services, enabled by strikes for better pay would help reduce the UK’s emissions from transport.
Is the UK infrastructure keeping up with the EV revolution? Source : Pexels
What's Happening in Coventry?
100% of buses in Coventry will be electrified by 2025, improving Coventry’s air quality, but the diesel buses were sold to Birmingham and the electric buses still emit tyre particulates. Therefore, Coventry Very Light Rail is an exciting new development. Progress for Very Light Rail won’t be up and running until at least 2026 though, as the UK’s Department for Transport has recently rejected Coventry City Council’s bid for funding. Therefore, the directors and planners must write another business case for Coventry Very Light Rail to bid to secure funding. HS2 ‘cancellation’ means it will still go ahead, but slower.
Pool Meadow bus station is a five-minute walk away from campus and its services are reliable. West Midlands Cycle Hire is available in Coventry, simply download the Beryl app and getting cycling. Cycling and walking can also have health benefits. Trains between Coventry and Birmingham are around two to four an hour and are the most time effective way to travel between the cities. While we are still way behind our European counterparts in terms of speed, price and reliability – locally in Coventry we have a good system that hopefully can be built upon in the next few years.
References
Adventure, (2024), Spain is the latest country to ban short-haul flights—but it won’t be the last, https://adventure.com/spain-short-haul-flights-trains/
Airport Technology, (2024), How bad are private jet emissions for the environment? https://www.airport-technology.com/features/how-bad-are-private-jets-for-the-environment/#:~:text=The%20emissions%20of%20private%20jets&text=A%202021%20report%20from%20the,times%20more%20polluting%20than%20trains.
Allegretti, A., (2023), Rishi Sunak defies critics and presses on with net zero U-turn. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/sep/21/rishi-sunak-defends-climate-policy-u-turn-despite-criticism
Alternative Fuels Data Center, (2020), Emissions from Electric Vehicles, https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric-emissions#:~:text=All%2Delectric%20vehicles%20and%20PHEVs,power%20plants%2C%20may%20generate%20emissions.
Baer, H., (2016), Private Cars as Environmental Health Hazards, https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118786949.ch22
BBC, (2024), Coventry’s Very Light Rail not due for years-councillor, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-68544171
Belgian Interregional Environment Agency, (2021), Does an all-electric vehicle still cause air pollution? https://www.irceline.be/en/documentation/faq/does-an-all-electric-vehicle-still-cause-air-pollution-1
Brand, C., Anable, J., Kitsopoulou, I., & Watson, J. (2020). Road to zero or road to nowhere? Disrupting transport and energy in a zero-carbon world. Energy Policy, 139, 111334.
Brandmayr, C., & Leung, R. (2021). Accelerating the electric vehicle revolution: why the UK needs a ZEV mandate.
Business Travel Network Europe (BTNEUR), (2024), Spain proposes ban on short-haul domestic flights, https://www.businesstravelnewseurope.com/Air-Travel/Spain-proposes-ban-on-shorthaul-domestic-flights#:~:text=The%20Spanish%20government%20has%20proposed,two%20and%20a%20half%20hours.
Carbon Brief, (2021), The consumption of raw materials per electric car is approximately five times higher than an internal combustion vehicle, https://www.carbonbrief.org/iea-mineral-supplies-for-electric-cars-must-increase-30-tyred-to-meet-climate-goals/
Carbon Market Watch, (2024), Taylor Swift and the top polluters’ department, https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2024/02/13/taylor-swift-and-the-top-polluters-department/#:~:text=Her%20private%20jet%20usage%20amounted,that%20of%20the%20average%20European.
CCN, (2022), Why the sky is still full of empty ‘ghost’ flights, https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ghost-flights-pandemic-greenpeace-cmd/index.html
Coventry Telegraph, (2024), Coventry’s futuristic Very Light Rail will not be open to the public for several years, https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventrys-futuristic-very-light-rail-28804045
CNMC, (2023), Template, NP, 2021, Press Release, https://www.cnmc.es/sites/default/files/editor_contenidos/Notas%20de%20prensa/20231218_NP_IIIT_INF_Ferroviario_en_GB.pdf
Department for Transport, Official Statistics, Transport and Environment Statistics: 2023, Published 19 October 2023, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-and-environment-statistics-2023/transport-and-environment-statistics-2023
Department for Transport, (2022), Transport and environment statistics: 2022, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-and-environment-statistics-2022/transport-and-environment-statistics-2022
Department for Travel, National Travel Survey England 2022 Main Results, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1181292/nts-2022-factsheet.pdf
Department for Transport, (2024), Government announces return to business as usual for aviation this summer, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-return-to-business-as-usual-for-aviation-this-summer
CO2 emissions from cars: facts and figures (infographics) | Topics | European Parliament (Europa. eu)
Euronews, (2022), It’s official: France bans short-haul domestic flights in favour of train travel, https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/12/02/is-france-banning-private-jets-everything-we-know-from-a-week-of-green-transport-proposals#:~:text=The%20idea%20for%20the%20ban,be%20taken%20as%20a%20flight.
European Regions Airline Association, (2024), Spain Plans to ban Short-Haul Flights, https://www.eraa.org/proposed-ban-short-haul-flights-spain#:~:text=The%20country%20has%20been%20considering,in%20road%20or%20rail%20trips.
Forbes, (2022), The 40,000 ‘Ghost’ Flights Roaming The Skies, https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexledsom/2022/10/07/the-40000-ghost-flights-roaming-the-skies/?sh=4e975ef94f10
Gaugemaster, A History of the SNCF, https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/rightlines-article/history-of-SNCF.html#:~:text=Originally%20only%2051%25%20of%20the,l’%C3%89tat%20(State%20Railways)
Holton and James (2023), Sunak delays UK petrol car ban, seeking voter support on climate. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-interior-minister-braverman-we-need-pragmatic-approach-net-zero-2023-09-20/
IATA, (2024), French domestic flight bans and carbon emissions reductions, https://www.iata.org/en/iata-repository/publications/economic-reports/french-domestic-flight-bans-and-carbon-emissions-reductions/#:~:text=In%20June%202023%2C%20France%20formally,more%20than%202%20%C2%BD%20hours.
Komenda, N., (2021), Wealthy UK Flyers Opt for private jets to evade Covid lockdowns, https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/21/wealthy-uk-flyers-opt-for-private-jets-to-evade-covid-and-lockdowns
Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources for the Republic of Indonesia. (2020), 2020 Nickel Mining Booklet, https://www.esdm.go.id/id/booklet/booklet-tambang-nikel-2020
Le Monde, (2023), France’s short-haul flight ban comes into force, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2023/05/23/france-s-short-haul-flight-ban-comes-into-force_6027699_7.html
Li, S., Wang, B., & Zhou, H. (2024). Decarbonising passenger transportation in developing countries: Lessons and perspectives1. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 103977.
Owen, J. R., Kemp, D., Lechner, A. M., Harris, J., Zhang, R., & Lèbre, É. (2023). Energy transition minerals and their intersection with land-connected peoples. Nature Sustainability, 6(2), 203-211.
Quora, (2023), Why is the UK’s train technology behind other European countries, and why are their trains so expensive? https://www.quora.com/Why-is-the-UKs-train-technology-behind-other-European-countries-and-why-are-their-trains-so-expensive#:~:text=Trains%20are%20expensive%20in%20the,that%20would%20drive%20down%20prices.
Railtech.com, (2023), France to freeze the price of certain train tickets in 2024, https://www.railtech.com/all/2023/12/15/france-to-freeze-price-of-certain-train-tickets-in-2024/?gdpr=accept
Rocher, S., (2019), A closer look into the Spanish railway passenger transportation pricing, https://towardsdatascience.com/a-closer-look-into-the-spanish-railway-passenger-transportation-pricing-581c19fe67dc
Smith, L., Van Alstine, J., & Ofori, A. (2023). A research agenda for the extractive industries and the low carbon transition. A Research Agenda for Sustainability and Business, 135-151.
Spain Traveller, (2024), 7 tricks to get cheap train tickets in Spain, https://www.spain-traveller.com/en/cheap-train-tickets/#:~:text=All%20railway%20operators%20in%20Spain,Avlo%2C%20OUIGO%20and%20iryo).
Sky News, (2023), the UK has the most expensive train tickets in Europe with further hikes to come, https://news.sky.com/video/uk-has-most-expensive-train-tickets-in-europe-with-further-hikes-to-come-13024438#:~:text=Sky%20News%20compared%20the%20average,out%20as%20the%20most%20expensive.
The Mayor.EU., (2024), Spain bans domestic flights if there’s a train route that travels as fast, https://www.themayor.eu/en/a/view/spain-bans-domestic-flights-if-there-s-a-train-route-that-travels-as-fast-12375#:~:text=The%20flight%20restriction%20is%20part,short%2Dhaul%20flights%20%E2%80%93%20France.
Transport and Environment, (2021), Rising use of private jets sends CO2 emissions soaring, https://www.transportenvironment.org/articles/rising-use-of-private-jets-sends-co2-emissions-soaring
United Nations (UN), The 17 Goals, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Sustainable Development, https://sdgs.un.org/goals
United Nations (UN), (2021), 2020: Worst Year in Tourism History with 1 Billion Fewer International Arrivals, https://www.unwto.org/news/2020-worst-year-in-tourism-history-with-1-billion-fewer-international-arrivals
We Own It, (2022), When it’s cheaper to fly via Spain than get the train to Wembley, https://weownit.org.uk/blog/when-its-cheaper-fly-spain-get-train-wembley
West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), (2023), Get on board with Coventry’s all-electric buses, https://www.wmca.org.uk/news/get-on-board-with-coventry-s-all-electric-buses/#:~:text=A%20%C2%A3140%20million%20project,Dennis%20on%20a%20BYD%20chassis.
Willems, (2021), Exclusive: Study reveals 42 per cent drop in pre-owned private jets for sale as demand increases during the pandemic, https://www.cityam.com/exclusive-study-reveals-42-per-cent-drop-in-pre-owned-private-jets-for-sale-as-demand-increases-during-pandemic/
Working Papers, (2023), Banning short-haul domestic flights: A preliminary assessment for France, https://www.tse-fr.eu/sites/default/files/TSE/documents/doc/wp/2023/wp_tse_1482.pdf