Decarbonising Transport Week to highlight Britain’s pursuit of net zero

Organisers of the first ever Decarbonising Transport Week say the campaign is set to highlight the challenges that the UK needs to overcome to deliver the biggest gains in our global transition to net zero.  

Also celebrating the achievements to date, a series of online events between 6-10 March will deliver a range of expert insight and commentary for the whole ecosystem of people and organisations involved with decarbonising transport.

That includes a range of people and organisations, from fleet owners looking to decarbonise their business operations to public transport operators looking to decarbonise our urban and rural spaces, and from investors to policy influencers – regionally, nationally, and internationally. All parties are welcome.

Transport is the biggest contributor to UK territorial GHG emissions

Campaign organisers say that net zero has become the world’s best answer to stopping climate change. The UK became the world’s first major economy to pass laws to end our contribution to climate change, committing the nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

Why are governments opting for 2050? Because there are whole sectors such as transport that will take decades to transition to net zero, require billions of pounds in investment, and full sector buy-in to decarbonise effectively.

Chris Skidmore MP, former minister of state for energy and clean growth, and ambassador for Decarbonising Transport Week, said: “Decarbonising Transportation Week will provide a fantastic opportunity for businesses and communities to come together and show how they are leading the way in decarbonising. 

“This is an important opportunity to maximize the potential benefits of the transition so that the whole of the UK will achieve its net-zero by 2050 ambitions.”

Greg Clark MP, former BEIS secretary of state, and ambassador for Decarbonising Transport Week, said: “Tackling carbon emissions from transport must remain a key government objective if we are to meet our legal requirement for the UK to be net-zero by 2050. 

“Accounting for almost a quarter of all emissions, decarbonising transport offers both challenges and opportunities for government policy in the years ahead. I am delighted to see initiatives like Decarbonising Transport Week championing the cause.

“Policies such as ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030 will help to achieve net-zero goals, but we must also create an environment which allows people to feel encouraged rather than forced to make the switch to new vehicles as well as limit the impact this may have on family budgets. 

“But with this comes the opportunity to ensure the UK is a leading destination for investment in green technologies and innovation. This means the government must ensure that it commits to goals – and hopefully exceeds – its target of R&D spending accounting for 2.4% of GDP by 2027. Combined with measures to incentivise private sector investment in this field, we can cement our position as a global leader in green technology, encourage the continued development of green industries – such as battery development for vehicles – level-up our communities and cut emissions.”

Exclusive webinar programme

The week will play host to over 20 free-to-attend live and on-demand webinars where you can gain exclusive insight from peers, innovators, policy experts, and other critical stakeholders. 

Here are just a few live webinars across the programme. Click on the links to register:

Monday 6 March 12:30 – 13:30 (GMT): Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

Decarbonising Transport: Visions from Future Leaders. 

Tuesday 7 March 08:30 – 09:30 (GMT): Rail Freight Group

What is the circular economy and how does rail freight play its part both as a conveyor and a consumer of materials?

Tuesday 7 March 10:00 – 11:00 (GMT): Innovate UK KTN

Decarbonising Transport Infrastructure with Innovate UK KTN.

Wednesday 8 March 09:00 – 10:00 (GMT): BVRLA

Plugging the gap: foundations for fleet charging.

Wednesday 8 March 13:00 – 14:30 (GMT): Binary Carbon (organiser of Decarbonising Transport Week)

The value of women in fighting climate change

Thursday 9 March 12:00 – 13:30 (GMT): HyDEX/ERA

The role of hydrogen in decarbonising transport

More webinars will be added to the programme as the week draws closer.

Click here to register now for several online webinars at the Decarbonising Transport Week website. 

Decarbonising Transport Week is supported by over a dozen partners including the Association for Consultancy and Engineering, Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association, BVRLA, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Energy Research Accelerator, Environmental Industries Commission, EV Energy Taskforce, HS2, HyDEX, Innovate UK KTN, Rail Forum, Rail Freight Group, Railway Industry Association and Zemo Partnership.