----------------- -----------------   |  | | Last Updated: Monday, 7 August 2006, 10:17 GMT 11:17 UK |
At-a-glance: transport report | | Here are the key findings of the Commons environmental audit committee's report on cutting carbon pollution from transport. Scale of the problem Overall UK carbon emissions fell by 5.6% between 1990 and 2004 but emissions from transport rose 10% and represented a third of the total emissions Increased road traffic from economic growth is expected to produce more CO2 than is saved by all the current transport measures put together There must be a specific target for cutting CO2 emissions from transport - the current emissions target is shared between different parts of government and does not hold the Department for Transport (DfT) to account The fuel duty escalator is still listed by the government as having the second biggest impact on reducing carbon, even though it was abolished in 1999 None of DfT's currently active measures has any impact on aviation. Cars The government should be praised for being the first in Europe to introduce vehicle taxes specifically based on CO2 emissions, with changes to company car tax having a particular impact Changes to vehicle excise duty (VED) are "much less impressive" and the difference in costs between higher and lower carbon cars must be made much wider if they are to drive a transformation in the market Progress in encouraging sales of the lowest carbon cars (the new Band A for VED) has been "microscopic" The government should lower or rigorously enforce the current 70mph speed limit to rapidly and cost-effectively reduce carbon emissions Forthcoming measures to cut demand for using cars, including doubling the funding for Cycling England, are welcome and should be speeded up Driving tests should include checks on whether people drive in an environmentally-friendly way Government policy of ensuring that 5% of all road fuels come from renewable biofuels by 2010-11 should be praised DfT should work with the Energy Saving Trust to increase significantly the number of fuelling stations and electro bays for electric cars. Planes Even under the government's most optimistic forecasts, emissions from aviation will increase almost five-fold while every other sector of the economy would have to cut its share Air passenger duty should be raised to slow the growth in demand for flights and ministers should look at taxing each plane, rather than each passenger, to discourage half-empty flights The government should work to make deals with European countries to levy taxes on flights between them, with the money used to improve high speed rail links or help design more energy efficient aircraft Ministers are right to push for aviation to be included in the European Union's emissions trading scheme, but this could still be several years away The government is right to offset the carbon emissions on all its own flights but this should be a compulsory charge on all airline tickets. Trains Plans for new high speed rail links should be supported but energy efficient designs should be chosen. Buses Bus use increased significantly in London from 2001 to 2005 but fell in every other region of England - the DfT is looking at ways to reverse the trend The deregulated system of bus services outside London should be reformed, to assist in providing services which attract people out of their cars.
| | VIDEO AND AUDIO NEWS Hear what the committee of MPs has recommended
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