Measure, Monitor, Minimise: Energising Travel Plans for Climate Change

Dr Debbie Walker

JMP Consultants

Our Atmosphere

The GHGs

IPCC

200+ scientists worldwide

Most comprehensive review of all published works

‘Very likely’ – 90% certainty – increase in temperature is due to manmade CO2

>1oC locked in since Industrial Revolution

IPCC work defines all international frameworks

• Kyoto Protocol

• UN agreement to prevent ‘dangerous’ climate change – Below 2oC, includes China and the US

At 2oC…

Kilimanjaro loses all snow, rendering Africa snow free for first time in 11,000 years

Most of Great Barrier Reef will be dead

Every summer will be like 2003 – when 30,000 died of heatstroke – what about extremes?

Greenland’s ice sheet will melt completely, a 1m rise in sea level for UK

Arctic sea ice will be negligible, polar bears facing extinction

Catastrophic collapse of agriculture in China, India, N. America

Non-linear feedback mechanisms…?

0.5OC, Gloucestershire, Summer 2007

Stern Warnings

Climate Change is the greatest and widest-ranging market failure ever seen.

Our actions over the coming few decades could create risks of major disruption to economic and social activity, later in this century and in the next, on a scale similar to those associated with the great wars and the economic depression of the first half of the 20th century.

‘The Economics of Climate Change’

Sir Nicolas Stern (October 2006)

And Transport?

Deep emissions cuts will be required in the transport sector. Large-scale uptake of a range of clean transport technologies is likely to be more difficult in the shorter term, but will ultimately be needed.

‘The Economics of Climate Change’

Sir Nicolas Stern (October 2006)

Transport’s Share

28% of total CO2e in 2006 (22% from road transport)

Not just CO2…

>200 LAs have declared AQMAs

95% due to NO2, PM10, i.e. road traffic

Most of TRN within AQMA

40,000 premature deaths a year

Increases in childhood asthma

Pollution worst in deprived areas, poor Quality of Life

UK will not meet EU targets for NO2 set for 2010

Legal ramifications? Judicial review?

Transport Policy

DfT has four key policy areas:

• Reduce fossil carbon content of fuel

• Increase fuel efficiency

• Encourage a move towards more environmentally sustainable forms of transport

• Work towards inclusion of transport in the Emissions Trading Scheme

The Transport Scotland Travel Plan

What is an organisation’s Carbon Footprint?

The WBCSD / WRI GHG Accounting Protocol:

• a ‘basket’ of greenhouse gases• both direct and indirect scopes for reporting

Travel – An Important Source!

Replacing a 60W bulb for energy efficient:

• saves ~ 80 kgCO2 a year

Single flight EDI – LHR:

• releases ~ 80 kgCO2 per passenger

=

Transport Scotland Travel Plan

First carbon-focussed Travel Plan

Aspiration:

‘To measure, monitor and minimise the greenhouse gas emissions arising from travel of TS employees’

Ethos:

‘The greenest mile is the mile not travelled’

‘Travel Carbon Footprint’ used to set targets and actions

Targets are purely carbon savings

Actions are defined to achieve the biggest carbon savings

– 35,000 kgCO2 reduction over two years

Footprinting Example: The Commute

Undertook staff travel survey November 2006

Established journey details for each staff member

Established the carbon emission arising

Multiplied journeys to reflect annual impact

Mode Split CO2 Split

The Future

Monitoring Strategy: annual surveys and footprint

Evolution of Actions and Targets

Annual Reporting

Business unit carbon challenge?

Individual carbon challenge?

TS influence over TPs requested through development planning

Yearly Emissions from Travel Information

A new carbon footprinting tool for Travel Plans

www.smarterchoices.co.uk

YETI

Yearly Emissions from Travel Information

Freely available for anyone to use

Simple registration, with online toolkit or JMP support

Fully automates the carbon footprinting process

For commute, travel surveys are completed online

For business travel, data files uploaded

Reports show breakdown of CO2 (or £!) by:

• Mode

• Common journey

• Individual

• …?

Each employee enters their commute…

Business travel data is uploaded…

…and YETI works out the total travel carbon footprint.

The commute emissions are apportioned by mode.

As are emissions from business travel.

YETI also identifies common business journeys within each mode.

Tailored actions can then be set to achieve the biggest carbon savings.

Measure. Monitor. Minimise.

The new approach to Travel Plans.

Questions?