New analysis by IPPR reveals how the
climate crisis is fuelled by a few ultra-wealthy individuals in
Britain.
The report finds that the transport
system reflects wider inequalities in society, with the highest
earners the highest polluters. The richest 0.1 per cent in
Britain emit 22 times more from transport than low earners, and
12 times more than average.
A small minority of the population are
creating the majority of transport emissions. Half of all
transport emissions in Britain come from just one in five people
(15 per cent) and the
worst polluting 10 per cent of the population are responsible for
four tenths (42 per cent) of all transport
emissions.
The data finds that income is directly
linked to levels of mobility. People with an income over £100,000
travel at least double the distance each year compared to those
with incomes under £30,000.
The research also finds
that:
-
Men are more likely to be
high emitters than women, travelling significantly further by both car and
plane
-
People from more deprived neighbourhoods tend to travel
significantly less and emit
less greenhouse gas than those from the least deprived
-
People with a disability are likely to travel far
less than those without
(including by plane), and their emissions are much lower as a
result
-
People from a non-white British ethnicity tend to
travel less far and emit
less
-
Those aged 35 to 64 emit the most
from private
transport
The UK has made limited progress over
the past three decades in reducing emissions from transport,
which is now the country's largest emitting
sector.
The report states that to decarbonise
transport in the UK, the government must improve public
transport, boost active travel and speed up the transition to
electric vehicles. This must include the Committee on Climate
Change and the UK government doing more to put fairness and the
British public at the heart of their net zero plans. The think
tank recommends:
-
Introducing new taxes on
private jets, including both increased air passenger duty and a
kerosene tax
-
Lifting the ban on municipal bus
fleets, making franchising
of buses easier and ensuring the rail network is run in
partnership with local leaders
-
Reinstating the 2030 ban on the purchase of new
internal combustion engine vehicles
and realigning the Zero Emission
Vehicle mandate behind this.
Dr Maya Singer Hobbs, senior
research fellow at IPPR,
said:
“Our transport system both
reflects and contributes to social inequalities. Reducing
emissions can actually tackle some of that injustice, if done
fairly. But while not everyone needs to make the same changes,
those who are financially best off need to do the
most.”
Stephen Frost, principal
research fellow at IPPR,
said:
“By putting people at the heart of
our approach to reducing Britain's climate impacts we demonstrate
both who is best placed to cut their emissions at the pace needed
and how doing so can help tackle the underlying unfairness in who
the transport system currently works
for.
“Now is not the time to slow down
our efforts to reach net zero, doing so just fuels existing
transport inequalities. The next UK government must step up the
pace by delivering a credible, fair and people-focussed plan for
more sustainable
travel.”
ENDS
Dr Maya Singer Hobbs is available for
interview
CONTACT
David Wastell, Director of News and
Communications: 07921 403651 d.wastell@ippr.org
Liam Evans, Senior Digital and Media
Officer: 07419 365334
l.evans@ippr.org
NOTES TO
EDITORS
-
The IPPR paper,
Moving together: A
people-focussed pathway to fairer and greener
transport by Stephen
Frost, Dr Maya Singer Hobbs, Richard Riley, Robert
Pearce-Higgins and Laurence Peplow, will be published at 00:01
on Wednesday 29 May 2024. It will be available for download
at: http://www.ippr.org/articles/moving-together
-
Advance copies of the report are
available under embargo on request
-
Analysis is based on England's
National Travel Survey and Scottish Household Survey data for
the years 2013–2021. It has been weighted to be representative
of the Welsh population but does not include Northern
Ireland.
-
The report identifies 12 different
types of travelers, who together represent the entire
population of Great Britain, including:
- Highly affluent, unrestricted mobility
who are more likely to fly
internationally and domestically as well as travel by car.
This group tend to be white males, aged 37, on annual incomes
of £73,000, home-owning, working in professional or
managerial jobs.
- Car free, high bus, low income who are more likely to use public transport, walk or
ride a bike. The average person in this group is a white
female, aged 43, on an annual income of £13,600, renting,
working in routine or manual
jobs.
