According to statistics published by the Department of Transport, transport is the most polluting in UK being responsible for 27% of greenhouse gases in 2019, of which the overwhelming majority (91%) came from road vehicles and the volume of emissions from road transport has hardly changed over the last three decades with efficiency improvements being offset by miles driven.

The UK Government has responded to this issue head on, with transport being at the forefront of the legally binding carbon reduction targets as well as pledges being made at COP26. The Government’s Transport Decarbonisation Strategy published in July 2021 contained a suite of policies, investments, and ambitions to hasten carbon reduction. Encouraging cycling and walking was addressed with an investment of £2 billion and more than 300 cycling and walking schemes already having been delivered, accelerating the move to zero-emission vehicles through phasing out old vehicles whilst building a zero-emission fleet and improving EV infrastructure alongside plans to boost public transport uptake through decarbonising rail and delivering zero-emission buses. Targets surrounding zero emission vehicles were further brought forward at COP26 where the transition to 100% zero-emission cars and vans was hastened further with signatories including governments, cities, manufacturers and investors.

This task however comes with challenges. When and where to invest, how to effectively deliver such ambitious plans, phasing out tens of millions of vehicles, offsetting rising costs and disruption, building the necessary infrastructure, utilising technology as well as ensuring we have the necessary skills in our workforce to adapt to and overcome these challenges.

This event, through a mixture of high-level keynotes, presentations and practical case studies, will share knowledge and expertise on strategies to hasten decarbonisation. We will explore the transition to zero-emission vehicles whilst analysing the challenges this journey heralds through a solutions-based approach.