Reducing transport emissions: Models of changeHarriet Williams,
JMG Foundation
Environmental Funders Network
“Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it”
Mark Twain
Philanthropic response to climate change Where The Green Grants Went – analysis of UK
funding Covered 176 trusts in the 2004/05 financial year Environmental grants totalled £33.6 million – just
1.6% of UK trust giving (in US ca. 5%) Of this less than 10% directed towards climate
change – much of the funding is for conservation Climate change grants amounted to less than 0.2% of
UK trust giving in total Very few grants to EU level work
Problems with road transport
Road transport 20% of EU carbon emissions, majority from passenger cars
Average person travels 36km per day – 27km of that by car
Noise, air pollution, accidents and land take Car-dependent societies Social justice dimension (including access to
non-car alternatives, health impacts)
Origins of road transport emissions
Three major components: Energy efficiency of road vehicles Total distance travelled by vehicle fleet Carbon-intensity of transport fuel
The blame game
Shifting of responsibility between government, business and consumers
Automakers call for ‘integrated approach’ to share burden of fuel economy regulation
Higher oil prices = end of ‘green dream’? Unhelpful current paradigms: “Consumers don’t
want clean cars”; “War on the motorist” Decisive action by national and EU governments
needed to clean up road transport. But where is the popular mandate for doing so?
So what should we do? Where can funders ‘add value’? Need to rapidly expand range of actions that are
politically feasible and attractive to government E.g. boosting fuel economy, reducing car-
dependency Models of change: Where power lies, obstacles to
change, ways of tackling vested interests Build wider movement from below, comprising ‘non-
environmental’ publics to raise political costs of inaction
Aim for change at system level not symptom level
Pressure points: Fuel efficiencyGovernment
ConsumersBusiness
EU regs: 120g by 2012EU regs: 120g by 2012
Consumer psychologyConsumer psychologyFuel savings
AdvertisingAdvertising
TechnnologyTechnnology
Fleet Fleet procurementprocurement
Climate change
Energy security
Competitiveness/jobs
Fuel/vehicle taxFuel/vehicle taxLobbyingLobbying
Choice/personal freedom
So what should we do?
1.EU regulation of car CO2 Highly politicised – showdown between France and
Germany Build ‘broad church’ to counter industry lobbying2.Car advertising Good platform from which to question what
consumers really want and need in a car3. Incremental technology gains Off-the-shelf rather than in the future
= Focus on EU gov, industry lobbying and advertising
Pressure points: Travel behaviourGovernment
ConsumersBusiness
Public transportPublic transport
Fuel/vehicle taxFuel/vehicle tax
Consumer psychologyConsumer psychologyHealth/quality of life
AdvertisingAdvertising
Teleconf./flexi-timeTeleconf./flexi-time
Parking Parking availabilityavailability
Climate change
Traffic congestion
Choice/personal freedom
Road-buildingRoad-building
Land-use Land-use planningplanning
Car clubs etc.Car clubs etc.
Psychology of travel behaviour: A microcosm of climate can(‘t) do
‘If everyone made journeys of less than one kilometre on foot rather than by car we’d save millions of barrels of oil!’
What is wrong with this statement: Who is all this energy saving for? Where is the benefit at individual level? What if ‘everyone’ else doesn’t do it? What if I want to drive to the shop?
So what should we do?
1.Make it ‘sexy’ to take the bus New discourses of choice/freedom: ‘I have a
dream’ not ‘I have a nightmare’
2.Reduce need to travel Land-use planning – ever the Cinderella of
reducing transport emissions
= Focus on national/local gov, consumer psychology, alternatives to travel
For more informationEnvironmental NGOs• Transport & Environment • Friends of the Earth Europe • Greenpeace International• Centre for Transport and Energy (Czech Rep.)• BUND (Germany)Academic centres• Transport Mistra (Sweden)• Centre for Transport and Society (UWE)• Centre for Transport Policy (Aberdeen Business School)
For more information
Funder initiatives on climate change Climate Change Philanthropy Network (CCPAN) Climate and Energy Funders Network (US) Forests Philanthropy Action Network Design to Win collaboration European Climate Foundation
Thank you for listening