The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has announced the launch of a Net Zero Transport Board to help guide the decarbonisation of UK transport.
Transport minister Grant Shapps said the board will bring together “high-profile leaders” from a range of fields including behavioural change and policy, as well as experts from a number of industry sectors including environment, science, aviation and technology.
The board had its first meeting on Wednesday 8 July, which saw Shapps, transport minister Rachel Maclean and minister for clean growth Kwasi Kwarteng hear from stakeholders on what steps they feel government should be taking to ensure a green recovery from Covid-19 and the associated economic impact.
Future meeting agendas will cover what further action the government should be taking to support jobs and the economy in line with the UK’s transport decarbonisation goals with Shapps highlighting the government’s aim for 2 million jobs by 2030 in the low carbon economy and its supply chains, up from 460,000 today.
“Clearly our ground-breaking transport decarbonisation plan must be shaped by the best brains and informed by the widest array of expertise and experience,” said Shapps.
“I’m determined to build a greener, healthier, more prosperous Britain for future generations and I have no doubt that the Net Zero Transport Board will play an integral part in our green recovery.”
According to Shapps, the board will also help shape and inform the transport decarbonisation plan coming later this year.
It is the first time the UK will lay out its approach to decarbonising every form of transport, setting out a pathway to delivering transport’s contribution to carbon budgets and to meeting net zero by 2050.
Last year, the UK became the first major economy in the world to pass laws to end its contribution to global warming by 2050.
The target will require the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, compared with the previous target of at least 80% reduction from 1990 levels.
Alongside the Net Zero Transport Board meeting, the government is also providing an opportunity for the public to feed back their views online on the development of the transport decarbonisation plan.
Transport minister Rachel Maclean said: “The coronavirus pandemic has led to people making huge changes to the way they live, work and travel, and we want to capitalise and build on the new habits people have developed, as well as champion the power of new, cleaner technologies on our road to a green recovery.
“The government has pledged to put a green recovery for transport at the heart of its decisions, and the meeting follows the unprecedented work taking place as part of the green economic recovery including a £2bn fund for cycling and walking – the largest investment ever made in this area.”
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