Published in Energy Efficiency, the study uses Scotland as an example and suggests that radical lifestyle change can show quicker results than the gradual transition to electric vehicles and phasing out of conventional petrol and diesel vehicles.
Scotland has committed itself to reduce carbon emissions by 80% of 1990 levels by 2050. For transport, this includes international aviation and shipping which makes the targets more difficult to achieve.
Led by Dr Christian Brand, Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor at the Oxford School of Geography and Environment, Environmental Change Institute and Transport Studies Unit, in collaboration with colleagues Jillian Anable from the University of Leeds and Craig Morton at the University of Loughborough, the paper explores how plausible changes in the way we travel might reduce energy use and emissions in Scotland over the next three decades, in light of the 5-year carbon budgets up to 2050 and beyond.
'Our study explores how Scotland might achieve these targets in the transport sector. We find that both lifestyle change - such as making fewer and shorter journeys, sharing existing journeys, or shifting to walking, cycling and clean public transport - and a comprehensive strategy around zero emission technologies are needed, but that they have limits to meeting our CO2 targets, in particular beyond 2030' explains Dr Brand.
Read more at University of Oxford