transport climate home page

June 2007 - UK Phase One report published
November 2008 - Phase Two report released

The transportclimate website is about putting forward practical policies for the UK which would reduce transport's impact on the climate. This inevitably is of far wider relevance than transport alone and has to take a global perspective.

Throughout the project, starting in 2006, research material was released to stimulate discussion.

The full Phase Two report has now been released, including a comprehensive policy package, timetable and initial assessment of results. Phase One has already been published. Links to download both reports and background material can be found below.

A copy of the presentation at the meetings hosted by the Transport Planning Society in London, Leeds and Bristol is also available below.

Both reports include a large number of references, most of which have been given web links. If you make use of this resource, please acknowledge this site and the transportclimate project, let us know, and we can build a further resource list of relevant projects.

Comments are still very welcome. Please email us at:

Previously published material, including some spreadsheets, are also listed. The versions of environmental duties and rates of progress first posted in December 2006 were updated in the light of comments received. Results from this have been widely circulated and presented to policymakers and the new first year charge in the Budget moves in the direction proposed by Phase 1. The idea that total emissions over a period of time are what matters for climate change is also reflected in the Climate Change Bill, which will set legally binding limits for five years at a time.

The site will continue to be updated regularly throughout 2008.

Phase Two report now available for download

Full report click here

Executive Summary click here

Presentation click here

Perspectives - transport and climate change - Phase One
summary click here
full report click here

Emerging issues: as at August 2008 Much of this material is incorporated in the draft report above
Land use planning: the key to transport demand This paper reviews the threefold nature of transport demand - land use, transport availability and behavioural choice. Includes some NTS analysis of the changing nature of trip making and draft policy proposals for comment!	*Click here*
International shipping: plenty of scope for improvement Large ships often use a less refined form of fossil fuel. This would make it easy to accept unrefined plant oils instead. Meanwhile the development of hi-tech versions of wind power and pentamarans offer real prospect of GHG reductions.	*Click here*
Aviation policy: oil price rise and cost benefit analysis MTRU were commissioned by WWF UK to rework the original DfT cost benefit spreadsheets with new assumptions and consider how oil price rises, improved rail links and videoconferencing could reduce demand.	*Click here*
Aviation policy: charging In the context of the Government's consultation on aviation charges, this discussion paper suggests a replacement for existing aviation tax. This is based on weight and distance, making it more closely related to emissions.	*Click here*
UK Air travel Cars, coaches and rail (in part) pay fuel duty, why don't flights between destinations in the UK? Reducing domestic travel would save modest amounts of CO2 but they are a major factor in the demand for new runways.	*Click here*
Road freight It's a little known fact that HGVs are a major source of greenhouse gas from transport - see link to our charts. They are also growing - by almost 30% since 1990. Car emissions, while the largest single source, have been stable.	*Click here*
Improving Freight Efficiency Allowing larger and heavier lorries may seem like a way improving efficiency. However, previous increases have not had any discernible impact - why is this? The Freight on Rail Group sponsored this latest analysis of UK statistics.	*Click here*

Archive: discussion notes: as at 21st April 2007 Revised versions of this material (excluding spreadsheets) included in the Phase 1 Report
1 Targets for more efficient cars Why is the current Government target not being met? What needs to be done to put this right? (includes copies of the spreadsheets used)	*Click here*
2 Environmental duties to encourage more efficient car use Here are some proposals which follow the project's principles of being: rational - transparent - avoidable	*Click here*
3 Targets, markets and rates of progress Should transport should have to follow national targets? How does the rate of progress affect the size of target? What about offsetting and carbon markets?	*Click here*
4 What is the cost and what is the price of carbon? How did Stern deal with valuing the future? Why has this been subject to so much criticism? Is there an alternative approach?	*Click here*