On Wednesday, July 14th, the UK government announced its plan to decarbonize transportation by the year 2050. In the next 3 decades, the UK government expects to see a decrease in pollution from automobiles to aircraft. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps stated, “The transport decarbonization plan is just the start – we will need continued efforts and collaboration to deliver its ambitious commitments, which will ultimately create sustainable economic growth through healthier communities as we build back greener.”
The government also shared previous plans to stop the sale of diesel and gasoline cars by 2030 and require all cars and vans to run no tailpipe emissions. They also have plans to mark a net zero railway grid by the year 2050.
Grant Shapps believes that to fulfill this plan, we must realize that decarbonization will rely on future transport technology. His ambition to shift to a zero emission transport takes tons of investment and behavioral and societal change.
How Did Others Respond to the UK's announcement?
Many people were fond of the idea of decarbonization. One of those in support was Elizabeth de Jong, Logistics UK’s director of policy. She believes that the UK’s plan will be beneficial for businesses; allowing them to be confident in helping initiate the plan.
On the other hand, the Road Haulage Association thought of the plan as nothing more than an “idea”. Richard Burnett, the RHA’s chief executive, claimed that the proposal seemed “unrealistic".
The strategy the UK is taking could be the most important thing the government will showcase this year. Considering that no other country has created a successful net zero strategy, the UK creates a nice roadmap for other countries to start coming up with ideas.
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