Inequality in transport emissions between the richest and the poorest in the UK is set to widen dramatically over the next decade, an analysis has found.
The most affluent and mobile already produce 10 times more carbon through their domestic travel than the poorest and least mobile. Under current decarbonisation policies, thinktank researchers forecast this to grow to 13 times by 2035.
But revised policies that tackle domestic flying and excess private car use could not only lessen inequality, they say, but also reduce emissions faster overall.
“Fairness isn’t a barrier to climate action – it’s the key to unlocking it,” said Stephen Frost, the head of transport policy at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). “A fairer approach doesn’t just cut carbon faster, it builds a healthier, more inclusive transport system for everyone.”
The IPPR research updates a study last year that broke down transport emissions by income, gender, location, ethnicity and age, finding that wealthy white men from rural areas are the country’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases.
They found there was a stark divide in people’s experience of getting around, with some having effectively unlimited ability to travel how, when and where they like, while millions of others are unable to access community life or jobs.
In the current research, they used the same 12 traveller profiles on which the original study was based, ranging from the most to least affluent and mobile, and projected their decrease in transport emissions over the next decade according to the government’s current policies.
They found that the poorest groups were due to decarbonise much faster than the wealthiest, with the richest 4% set to emit 13 times more carbon from their domestic travel than the poorest 14% by 2035 – up from a tenfold gap today.
When international travel was included, the richest were expected to emit 22 times more than the poorest – up from 20 times today.
Transport is the highest emitting sector in the UK and almost 30% of emission savings will potentially come from surface transport between now and 2030. The government’s approach to decarbonising the sector focuses heavily on the adoption of climate technologies, such as zero-emission vehicles and sustainable aviation fuels, with limited policies focusing on demand reduction.
A fairer approach, proposed by the IPPR, would focus on reducing excess private car travel and flights for those with the means to change their behaviours fastest, while increasing transport options for the least mobile.
It would not only promote a faster uptake of zero emission vehicles and sustainable aviation fuels , but also encourage less car use among all groups, increased use of public transport and active travel, such as cycling, and a significant reduction in flights for the highest emitting groups.
“A fairer pathway would see the emissions gap fall, with the highest polluting group emitting eight times more than the lowest,” the IPPR report says, adding that it could also lead to an overall cut in transport emissions of 71%, compared with 55% under existing policy.
However, moves towards this fairer pathway will require a decade of growth in bus use, as well as active travel, with the most affluent cutting their car use by 25% and their domestic air travel by 46%.
