The UK’s Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is using the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic to help drive a green transport revolution. Speaking at this week’s Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership Annual Conference, Shapps said that the government is keen to decarbonise transport as soon as possible, and that coronavirus and the associated issues and problems could help reshape the future of transport. “Coronavirus has changed us, just as it has changed our world,” Shapps said at the conference which this year was held online due to the pandemic. “That gives us a unique opportunity to rethink the way that we travel, to speed up the development of clean technologies and to put green recovery at the heart of our plans for the future. “Part of the opportunity is to shift options, to impress on the country that the green transport revolution that we’ve been talking about for many years is actually happening now. Some of the transformational improvements are literally within touching distance.” The Government has recently announced a range of financial initiatives to stimulate a carbon-free car future, with £12million pledged to stimulate the EV and charging industry, while a further £10million has been promised to help install 7200 on-street EV charging points. The government’s net-zero strategy currently includes a ban on the sale of combustion engined cars by 2035 as part of a wider £2.5bn plan to reduce road transport emissions. Shapps continued: “Low-carbon vehicles are no longer our goal; we have to decarbonise transport altogether and demonstrate that both government and industry are united in our commitment to achieve that goal. In the months ahead, you’ll see the government putting its full weight behind the net-zero campaign, behind rebuilding our infrastructure, investing in modern transport connections and scaling up ambitions as we work towards our full transport decarbonisation plan later this year.” iOffset has partnered with one of the UK’s biggest online car supermarkets in a groundbreaking initiative which will see every car sold have its carbon emissions offset, ensuring a greener future for used cars.
The UK Steps Up its Commitment to Carbon Reduction: A Path Towards the 1.5°C Goal
The UK’s prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, tells the COP29 climate conference he is committed…