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UK government aims to decarbonize domestic transportation by 2050

A ban on gasoline- and diesel-powered heavy delivery vehicles is a cornerstone of the scheme to reach net zero carbon emissions.

Craig Cole Former reviews editor
Craig brought 15 years of automotive journalism experience to the Cars team. A lifelong resident of Michigan, he's as happy with a wrench or welding gun in hand as he is in front of the camera or behind a keyboard. When not hosting videos or cranking out features and reviews, he's probably out in the garage working on one of his project cars. He's fully restored a 1936 Ford V8 sedan and then turned to resurrecting another flathead-powered relic, a '51 Ford Crestliner. Craig has been a proud member of the Automotive Press Association (APA) and the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA).
Craig Cole
2 min read
UK Emissions Net Zero OGI - land rover
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UK Emissions Net Zero OGI - land rover

The UK has ambitious -- and laudable -- goals for cleaning up domestic transportation. 

Land Rover/Screenshot by Craig Cole/Roadshow

The UK is aiming to drastically reduce emissions produced by its transportation sector, and it has a plan to do this. The country's Department for Transport announced on Wednesday a proposal that "provides a world-leading 'greenprint' to cut emissions from our seas and skies, roads and railways, setting out a credible pathway for the whole transport sector to reach net zero by 2050."

This will be no small feat, but to cut the carbon, this eco-friendly strategy adds to the country's proposed ban on the sale of new gasoline- and diesel-powered cars and vans by the year 2035 with a similar prohibition on heavy delivery vehicles (in excess of 26 metric tons) by 2040, subject to consultation with industry. 

Large trucks and their burly diesel engines burn a lot of fuel and can release commensurately huge amounts of noxious fumes, so switching them to electric power could go a long way toward cleaning up the environment. These separate vehicular embargoes would basically eliminate the sale of new combustion-powered vehicles in the UK over the next two decades.

Beyond roadways, other transport sectors are set to receive a thorough greening. The UK aims to make domestic aviation net zero by 2040 and do the same to its rail network just 10 years after that. Billions of pounds will also be spent to make cycling and walking more appealing, and billions more to help drivers switch to cleaner vehicles.

"It's not about stopping people doing things: it's about doing the same things differently," said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. "We will still fly on holiday, but in more efficient aircraft, using sustainable fuel. We will still drive, but increasingly in zero emission cars."

Aside from cleaning the air and addressing the climate crisis, this Earth-friendly transportation scheme is expected to create plenty of green jobs. Tens of thousands of new positions could be supported just in building future zero-emissions road vehicles, the government says.

The UK wants to be ambitious in its goals to clean up the environment ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, aka COP26, which is taking place in the UK later this year. This "greenprint" could be one other nations will follow as they wrestle with carbon emissions and climate change.

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