The official paper
was released
on March 26,
a day when
daily U.K.
COVID-19
deaths reached
578, for the
worst day
up to that point.
The government
bureaucrat authors
were probably
very happy that
their paper got
little attention.
First of all, the paper
confirmed the U.K.,
now out of the EU,
would still adhere to
the EU’s strict CO2
emissions standards.
For cars,
EU standards
are the toughest
in the world.
A U.K. transportation
decarbonization plan
was due November 2020,
to coincide with the UN’s
annual climate-change
conference, COP-26,
in Glasgow.
That conference,
however, was
recently delayed
to 2021, thanks to
COVID-19.
The Department
for Transport's ( DfT )
paper, on the future
of UK transport,
calls for a major shift
out of cars into cycling,
walking and buses, and
"using cars differently
in the future".
"From motorcycles to HGVs,
all road vehicles will be
zero emission," ...
"and technological
advances … will change
the way vehicles are used."
The transport secretary,
Grant Shapps, claims:
"we will use our cars less
and be able to rely on a
convenient, cost-effective
and coherent public transport
network."
Convenient public transport ?
That might work in London,
but not in the rest of the U.K.,
where public transportation
is usually sub-standard.
Personal cars and trucks
had previously opened
up many distant employment
opportunities for people
who live outside of cities.
"Tailpipe emissions
for new cars and vans
remains a crucial lever,"
says the paper,
which says the U.K.
will at least match
the EU’s CO2 targets,
with manufacturers
facing fines for
non-compliance.
The paper says
U.K. cars produce
about 20% lower
greenhouse-gas
emissions
than in 1990 ...
but that was offset
by a 22% increase
in traffic.
And fuel efficiency gains
have stalled in recent years.
The paper blames
the increasing popularity
of SUVs, which usually use
more fuel than cars.
The paper fails to mention
the public also lost interest
in buying CO2-efficient
diesel-fueled cars.
How will a reduction
in private vehicles
be achieved ?
The paper
does not answer
that question.
Will private vehicles
have to be taxed,
making them
too expensive
for ordinary
people ?
Will private vehicles
have to be rationed,
perhaps one per family ?