Within the last few years Climate Change and achieving ‘net-zero’ have risen up on the agenda on a local, national, and international scale.
David Attenborough sums up the fight against Climate Change well: “Many individuals are doing what they can. But real success can only come if there is a change in our societies and in our economics and in our politics.”
We have all heard the term net-zero, but what exactly does it mean? Well, in simple terms net-zero refers to the balance achieved between the carbon emitted into the atmosphere, and the carbon removed from it. This balance (or net-zero) is reached when the amount of carbon we add to the atmosphere is no more than the amount taken away.
This year #NetZeroWeek runs from 2 to 8 July, and it highlight the challenges we face in getting to net-zero and provides advice on what we can all do to help us get to net-zero.
The UK government published its net-zero strategy setting out how it plans to meet the country’s legally binding climate goals out to 2050.
Legislation passed in 2019 now requires the government to reduce the UK’s net emission of greenhouse gases by 100% of 1990 levels by 2050.
This legislative requirement brings the UK in line with the international scientific consensus that, in order to prevent the worst climate damages, global net human emissions of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide, or CO2) need to reach net-zero by 2050.
Achieving close to zero in transport
Extensive and efficient transport infrastructure is critical to the functioning of a modern economy.
In the UK, surface transport is the largest contributing sector to greenhouse gas emissions, and pre-pandemic, the North alone emitted 25 million tonnes of CO2(e) from surface transport each year.
Transport for the North is targeting close to absolute zero emissions from surface transport, as we believe that any offsetting needs to be reserved for ‘hard to abate’ sectors like agriculture and aviation.
Together with our partners we think that an acceleration towards a zero-carbon transport network, is one of those priorities and must be at the heart of public policy making and investment decisions. Our ambition for the North is to travel faster and further than national policy and maximise the clean growth opportunities that decarbonisation can provide for the North.
Through our Transport Decarbonisation Strategy, the first regional document of its kind, TfN and our partners have set an ambitious target of a regional near-zero carbon surface transport network by 2045.
To achieve our region’s ambitious decarbonisation goal, we need a clear understanding of the policies and measures required to bridge the gap between the expected levels of future emissions, and the targets for future emissions. Our strategy lays out the North’s minimum expectations for both local and national decarbonisation policy ambitions and provides a framework for our partners and other organisations across the region to help them meet their decarbonisation responsibilities and ambitions.
Martin Tugwell, Chief Executive at Transport for the North, said:
“Tackling the climate emergency is a critical challenge, and the North of England has an important role to play. As outlined in our Transport Decarbonisation Strategy and highlighted by our Members, we believe our region can, and must, take clear and comprehensive action to decarbonise surface transport over the coming years.”
Evidencing the benefits of alternative fuels
An important component in reaching our ambitions will be achieving the HGV zero emission sales share targets over the coming decades. Our modelling shows we need to hit 44% by 2030 and 100% zero-emission HGV sales by 2040. To do this we need to be innovative, and work with our partners and wider stakeholders in the region to evidence the feasibility and benefits of alternative fuels.
A key challenge for national Government, local authorities and the private sector is planning and delivering Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure with confidence. Our Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (EVCI) framework has been developed to support local authority and national government partners in the planning and deployment of EV charging infrastructure, to underpin any public sector funding, as well as to inform and enhance any delivery through partnership with the private sector. To this end, TfN alongside Northern Gas Networks (NGN ), has led the formation of a cross-sectoral consortium to develop a Multimodal Hydrogen Transport Refuelling Network study. The study is evaluating the potential for hydrogen’s use in heavy duty transport (HGVs, trains, refuse vehicles and buses) across the North of England, creating a joined-up, regional plan on how to cost-effectively, kick-start the hydrogen economy in the North whilst supporting the growth of zero-emission transport and the repurposing of the gas grid.
A critical moment for the transport industry
We are at a crossroads. The climate emergency demands action from all of us and having the right policies, infrastructure and technology in place will help mitigate the extent of climate change. To achieve net-zero we must find ways to remove our past, present and future emissions.
Decarbonisation is a huge challenge facing us over the coming decades, but that doesn’t mean it is a problem for tomorrow. It’s taken hundreds of years to get to the point we are now, where we have only a few years to reverse the damage that has been done.
“We are gradually working towards decarbonising our public transport fleets in the North, but even without this, bus and rail are already the least carbon intensive way for tackling medium and long distance journeys. The data gathering behind our Decarbonisation Strategy, revealed how bus and rail account for only around 5% of transport emissions in the North. The strategy isn’t just about solutions. It also isn’t about showing us something we didn’t already know. It is about collating and harnessing the experience, skills and resources already existing in the North and turning that into an achievable vision for decarbonisation and transport,” said Peter Cole Principal Environmental and Sustainability Officer at Transport for the North.
There is no doubt that having a regional decarbonisation strategy is a positive step, and even without the necessary powers, it will provide context for Transport for the North’s partners, a coordinated message from the North to the government, and a template for other regions.
