MPs say people will have to get out of their cars

[mjr]

People will have to get out of their cars if the UK is to meet its climate change targets, MPs say. [...]

The government said it would consider the committee's findings.

In its report, the committee said: “In the long-term, widespread personal vehicle ownership does not appear to be compatible with significant decarbonisation.” [...]

The AA said the committee had underestimated the power of new technology to solve pollution in cars.

But the MPs are demanding improvements in public transport, walking and cycling, which benefit health as well as the climate.

They also criticise the government’s recent policies on the costs of transport.

So, more MPs come to cycling as part of the best response to climate change, government weakly says it will "consider" it and the AA shows its true anti-activity/pro-car colours when push comes to shove. Will anything change?

[Mike Sales]

Select committees do a lot of good work and make very sensible suggestions. Unfortunately they are generally ignored by government.

[Oldjohnw]

Select committees do a lot of good work and make very sensible suggestions. Unfortunately they are generally ignored by government.

Agreed. Possibly the best part part of our alleged democracy. I used to regularly have to turn up at the Justice Committee. The were extremely well informed, thorough and fair. But ignored.

[Samuel D]

The photo in the BBC article doesn’t do cycling any favours. A young man on a fixie with a gas-mask, helmet, backpack, and massive U-lock, about to be run over by a bus, both of which are blocking the road for honest-to-goodness car drivers.

This advertisement for staying in your car would only be improved by torrential rain. Typical though.

[warrendavies]

All the committee's recommendations make sense. But I didn't see any mention of reducing the need to travel in the first place.

For commuting type travel, this could be done through incentives to work close to home, through planning policies and incentives for companies and public sector to de-centralise to smaller sites closer to where workers live. Also through intervention to strengthen local economies, rather than spending on making travel easier.

[Psamathe]

When these reports or recommendations come out I often wonder what they are saying that is new. I would hope that most MPs should already know that cycling is less polluting than ICE cars, already know that cycling is better for health than sitting in a car, etc., etc.

Good for a report to point out that we are not meeting out carbon reduction targets but that has been well known and well reported for some time. Good to remind MPs but these types of reports seem to be routine and MPs have got used to reading and ignoring them.

And, re-reading my own text above makes me realise what a cyclic I have become, and wonder how we (as a nation) can break out of knowing what we need to do but failing to act.

Ian

[mjr]

Cyclic = cyclist + cynic?

The photo in the BBC article doesn’t do cycling any favours. A young man on a fixie with a gas-mask, helmet, backpack, and massive U-lock, about to be run over by a bus, both of which are blocking the road for honest-to-goodness car drivers.

This advertisement for staying in your car would only be improved by torrential rain. Typical though.

Interesting. It shows me a picture of a crowded motorway in flickering low sun. Targetted media at the BBC?

[Psamathe]

Cyclic = cyclist + cynic?.....

Typo (intending cynic)

Ian

[poetd]

Nice headline.

Will go a long way to distracting people further from looking at Industrial/Corporate/State polution.

"Don't look at them, it's your tiny carbon footprint that matters!"


(not saying we don't all have a part to play, but the press/state insistence on individual culpability rather than their corporate paymasters is disgusting.).

[mjr]

Nice headline.

Will go a long way to distracting people further from looking at Industrial/Corporate/State polution.

"Don't look at them, it's your tiny carbon footprint that matters!"

(not saying we don't all have a part to play, but the press/state insistence on individual culpability rather than their corporate paymasters is disgusting.).

Oh don't worry: some of the press is not even reporting the individual stop-using-cars action. Here's the Telegraph headline blaming inventors instead of any of the above: Lack of ‘green’ tech means the UK will miss its carbon target, warn MPs.

The Select Committee press release is mainly about what State hasn't done and should do, but that isn't going to connect with individuals as well, is it? So it's understandable if some publications try to relate it to personal actions.

What is the current pollution split between individual/Industrial/Corporate/State/other, then?

[mercalia]

I am hopeful I will see M&H on the local 315 bus in London

[mjr]

What is the current pollution split between individual/Industrial/Corporate/State/other, then?

Partly answering myself, it seems from the 2018 Climate Change Committee Progress Report to Parliament that power generation industries have lowered emissions much more than individuals. Industrial uses have made modest reductions but Transport is the biggest contributor not reducing at all. So is it fair to expect individuals to do some stuff now too?

[mjr]

I am hopeful I will see M&H on the local 315 bus in London

"m&h is a Spanish children's fashion brand"?

[Mike Sales]

I am hopeful I will see M&H on the local 315 bus in London

"m&h is a Spanish children's fashion brand"?

Megan and Harry I suspect.

[poetd]

What is the current pollution split between individual/Industrial/Corporate/State/other, then?

Partly answering myself, it seems from the 2018 Climate Change Committee Progress Report to Parliament that power generation industries have lowered emissions much more than individuals. Industrial uses have made modest reductions but Transport is the biggest contributor not reducing at all. So is it fair to expect individuals to do some stuff now too?

Those stats don't tell the whole story.

Sure, the power industry have made the biggest cuts, but when they are the largest contributors by a LONG way ( example https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... nteractive ) - then they still need to do more and more pressure needs applying.

I just find it fascinating that 10 or so years ago the focus was on corporations, now almost every story you see is about the individual (who according to some estimates, even collectively - ALL of us contribute less than 25% of all human carbon output).

And just because Shell has carbon-traded it's way to "neutral" status - doesn't mean they don't pollute - just means they have enough money to make themselves look green to fools.