Government Transport Decarbonisation Plan must provide clear pathway to net zero aviation
3rd February, 2021
AEF, in conjunction with other environmental NGOs, including Green Alliance and Transport & Environment, has set out four criteria that the Government’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TDP) must meet in order to put the sector on track for a 2050 net zero emissions target.
The Transport Decarbonisation Plan, due to be published this year, must, our briefing states, provide a clear pathway to net zero for the entire transport sector, including aviation, and commit to policies and spending for the next 10 years.
The plan should, our briefing argues:
- Establish national and regional quantified emissions reduction pathways and interim targets for the transport sector as a whole and separately for surface transport and aviation and shipping. These must be consistent with a net zero pathway for the UK, with surface transport and shipping reaching zero emissions well before 2050, and aviation reaching net zero for all emissions (including non-CO2 emissions) by 2050. All transport sectors must already be achieving substantial emissions reductions by 2030.
- Commit to the policies and funding needed to achieve the next ten years of emissions reductions across each mode of transport in line with the transport sector making a fair contribution to the UK meeting its 2050 net zero emissions target.
- Be a living document, with annual reports to parliament on progress and on-going opportunities for scrutiny from stakeholders, that sets out clear responsibilities for devolved and local government and transport bodies.
It must clearly link to the relevant work programmes of other departments, in particular to the Planning White Paper and Net Zero Strategy. - Encourage innovation, employment and UK industrial leadership, and monitor and optimise non-climate impacts of transport to ensure that decarbonisation measures also improve other indicators of health and economic well-being
To read the briefing in full, click here.