UK must cut down on car use to meet carbon emissions targets
Members of Parliament have said on Thursday that Britons will have to cut down on the use of their cars if the country is to meet its carbon emissions targets for 2030.
The Science and Technology Select Committee says technology alone cannot solve the problem of greenhouse gas emissions from transport and swapping to cleaner options won’t cut it.
In its report, the committee said: “In the long-term, widespread personal vehicle ownership does not appear to be compatible with significant decarbonisation.
“Government action is needed to reverse the current policy trend of cutbacks and slow progress, the government should not aim to achieve emissions reductions simply by replacing existing vehicles with lower-emissions versions,” said the paper.
As a result, the MPs urged less use of cars and polluting vehicles and demanding improvements in public transport, walking and cycling, which benefit health as well as the climate.
The report also called for variable stamp duty pegged to the energy efficiency of homes.
It also proposed trials on heat pumps and hydrogen gas heating, more funding for carbon capture and storage technology and subsidies for solar power.