Campaigners have called for free bus travel and the reopening of hundreds of miles of railway lines to end reliance on cars, as transport is due to be confirmed as the UK’s largest contributor to greenhouse gases. Official data released on Tuesday is expected to confirm transport as the most polluting sector, largely driven by cars. It outstripped energy for the first time in 2016, with annual emissions of about 125m tonnes of CO2. This figure has barely changed since 1990. Friends of the Earth said there needed to be a “radical reimagining of transport” to bring about a 20% reduction in car journeys, even with a faster switch to electric cars, to meet climate change targets. The group said free bus travel, costing £3bn a year, would also help address public health concerns around air quality and obesity.
Guardian 5th Feb 2019 read more »