A new body has been launched to help forge a clear, strategic direction for road transport decarbonisation in the UK.
Convened by Zemo Partnership, the Council for Net Zero Transport is chaired by Lord Deben, former environment secretary and chair of the Climate Change Committee.
It aims to engage senior figures from government, industry, environment and academic sectors.
Lord Deben said: “Our generation faces no greater challenge than that of tackling climate change.
“With transport responsible for over a quarter of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, if we’re going to solve this problem, we have to effectively decarbonise transport.
“We must do this for our environment, and we will reap rewards both politically and economically from doing so.”
According to Zemo executive director, Claire Haigh, decarbonising transport is a vital – and particularly challenging – element of the UK’s legally binding net zero targets.
“The policy prescriptions needed to do this are complex, nuanced and cross-sectoral, and achieving a successful outcome will be of huge benefit to the UK’s environment, society and economy,” she said.
“This is too vital a task for us to be distracted by over-simplifications and the short-term vagaries of our political system.
“We have some world-leading targets but we’re at a key moment in the transition and what we need now is a laser-like focus on delivery.
“To achieve this, we’ll need the full participation of government, nationally and locally – to the level of each town and parish council, industry, consumers and operators.”
Zemo Partnership also announced the Welsh Commercial Vehicle Decarbonisation programme, which will deliver a bespoke strategy for Wales covering heavy and light-duty commercial vehicles, with focus on sustainable fuels, electrification and the potential role for hydrogen.
Zemo will work closely with the Welsh government to develop the strategy and routes to delivery, it said.
The subject of road transport decarbonisation will be tackled at the CiTTi Conference, which will take place on Tuesday 10 September 2024 at 30 Euston Square in London and provide an exciting platform for transport professionals to discuss, learn and debate the latest legislative and regulatory policies driving the development and implementation of next-generation urban mobility solutions. For more information, click here
