The North of England has set an ambition to slash transport emissions by 56% by 2030 and reach near zero emissions by 2045. Achieving these ambitions requires immediate, effective action at the national, regional and local level. TfN’s Carbon Assessment Playbook enables this action for our partners across the North, providing a “policy builder” tool that allows every local authority to test the carbon reduction impacts of different local transport policies against their own baselines and local priorities.
How big is the decarbonisation facing the North’s transport system?
Surface transport is the largest contributing sector to UK greenhouse gas emissions, generating 103 MtCO2e in 2023, approximately 24% of all emissions[1]. In the North, surface transport was responsible for approximately 25 MtCO2e, around a quarter of UK surface transport emissions and 6% of the UK’s whole economy emissions.
TfN’s Decarbonisation Trajectory, set out within our Regional Transport Decarbonisation Strategy, illustrates the need for the North collectively to reduce its emissions by 56% from 2018 levels, by 2030, and reaching near-zero emissions by 2045. These ambitions aligns with those of the Climate Change Committee.
What is the role of local policy and plan makers in the transport decarbonisation challenge?
As set out in the Government’s Carbon Budget Delivery Plan (CBDP)[2], much of this reduction will be driven by a national policy framework, particularly the uptake of zero emission vehicles. However, to achieve our ambitions, especially in the next 10 years, the CBDP also says we must take action on transport demand (i.e. shifting from private car use and road freight to more sustainable modes of travel). Although it doesn’t yet qualify what policies and plans are needed.
Unquantified policy number 22, requires local transport authorities to ‘drive decarbonisation and transport improvements at a local level by making quantifiable carbon reductions a fundamental part of local transport planning and funding’.
The preparation of Local Transport Plans (LTPs) by our partners provides an important mechanism for helping to shape place-based decarbonisation.
to the challenge of transport decarbonisation varies from place to place across our region, and that means different solutions will be needed if we’re going to achieve our collective regional decarbonisation ambition.
LTPs provide a mechanism to set out how local areas are proposing to deliver carbon reductions in surface transport, to help achieve local and national targets – and actually quantify those reductions. And with the local knowledge that our combined authorities and local transport authorities have, they will know what is needed for their transport systems.
What is TfN’s Carbon Assessment Playbook (CAP) and how does it work?
Our CAP is a ‘policy builder’ tool, which allows every local authority to test the carbon reduction impacts of different local transport policies and interventions upon their bespoke carbon baselines.
The playbook takes the baseline inputs from TfN’s Quantified Carbon Reduction (QCR) Dashboard, and provides every local authority across the North, with the opportunity to:
The CAP tool has been developed with the six other Sub-national Transport Bodies to ensure consistency on a national basis, with input from the Department for Transport (DfT) – who are now signposting to the tool to help local and regional transport plan making.
How does the CAP help achieve the ambitions of TfN’s Strategic Transport Plan?
Our near-zero emission ambition is one of the three central themes in the North’s Strategic Transport Plan, published last year. It recognises that the push for rapid decarbonisation isn’t just about cutting emissions, it is about stimulating economic growth and reducing social exclusion.
The decarbonisation transition has to be a fair one. That means delivering improvements to people’s travel choices and greater access to key services and life opportunities, particularly for those who don’t currently enjoy reliable and affordable connectivity.
At same time, we want a prosperous transition that delivers economic benefits for the North’s communities. Our evidence shows there is untapped economic potential that having better local connectivity, and a safer and healthier environment can unlock, including jobs in clean mobility.
We are working with our partners to support development of their LTPs, and the CAP offers a tool to better understand what policy interventions could be most effective in delivering those wider social and economic benefits too.
How can I access and use the Playbook?
The playbook can be accessed directly through TfN’s website, the link contains a training video, containing a demonstration of the tools use, can be accessed, as well as a User Guide and a Calculation Methodology Note.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at: [email protected].
Further details on all of TfN’s carbon tools included in our TfN Offer can be found here.
References
[1] https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Progress-in-reducing-emissions-2024-Report-to-Parliament-Web.pdf
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carbon-budget-delivery-plan