Kindly sponsored by Go-Ahead
Date: Mon 15th September, 13.00 - 14.00
Location: Royal Bath Hotel Mezzanine
Speakers: Norman Baker MP, Shadow Transport Secretary John Stewart, Hacan Jessica Prendergrast, SMF Chris Burchell, Managing Director, Southern
Chair: tbc
Once again, this year has seen the threat of climate change, and the government’s response to it, making headlines on an almost daily basis with the main political parties competing for coverage of their initiatives. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) continues its work to present a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the current state of knowledge on climate change and in 2007 presented its fourth report warning that the cost of carbon emission has to rise if necessary emissions reductions are to be made. Other stark warnings have come from the UN and virtually every environmental and wildlife group.
In the last year the government has set ambitious targets for reducing carbon emissions by 60% by 2050 and yet many say this doesn’t go far enough and that legislation needs to be more stringent. Strong public opposition to taxation initiatives such as road user charging and higher aviation taxes continues and the government has again come under fire for promoting what some believe are ill conceived, short-term measures which do not address the challenge of changing behaviour at a fundamental level.
The Government’s Climate Change Bill continues its progress through parliament and will make the UK the first country in the world to set legally binding targets for reducing its CO2 emissions and the last budget contained measures designed to curb carbon emissions; the most high profile of these aimed at the most pollutant cars.
Road transport currently accounts for just over one-fifth of all UK carbon emissions. It is therefore vital to encourage individuals to change their lifestyles, a substantial part of which is persuading and enabling people to use their car(s) less, or more appropriately, in order for the government to meet its emissions reduction targets.
An SMF report exploring the ways of using behavioural economics to change habits (to be published in May) takes car use as a case study and suggests taking a more holistic approach to breaking the habit of unnecessary car use. Establishing new social norms and reducing the ‘effort costs’ of alternatives such as public transport may be effective in encouraging road users out of their cars.
We will explore how greater use of public transport could be encouraged, considering what barriers currently exist and looking at why more people who could use public transport on a regular basis do not choose to do so. Greater use of public transport will not address the challenge of reducing our carbon emissions in isolation, but it is an essential part of the undertaking.
Key questions in the debate: