UK's richest set to produce 13 times more transport emissions than poorest by 2035

"Inequality in transport emissions between the richest and the poorest in the UK is set to widen dramatically over the next decade, an analysis has found. The most affluent and mobile already produce 10 times more carbon through their domestic travel than the poorest and least mobile. Under current decarbonisation policies, thinktank researchers forecast this to grow to 13 times by 2035."

"Fairness isn't a barrier to climate action it's the key to unlocking it, said Stephen Frost, the head of transport policy at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). A fairer approach doesn't just cut carbon faster, it builds a healthier, more inclusive transport system for everyone. The IPPR research updates a study last year that broke down transport emissions by income, gender, location, ethnicity and age, finding that wealthy white men from rural areas are the country's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases."

"In the current research, they used the same 12 traveller profiles on which the original study was based, ranging from the most to least affluent and mobile, and projected their decrease in transport emissions over the next decade according to the government's current policies. They found that the poorest groups were due to decarbonise much faster than the wealthiest, with the richest 4% set to emit 13 times more carbon from their domestic travel than the poorest 14% by 2035 up from a tenfold gap today."

Inequality in transport emissions between the richest and poorest in the UK is set to widen dramatically. The most affluent and mobile currently produce ten times more carbon through domestic travel than the poorest, and are projected to emit 13 times more by 2035 under current policies. Including international travel, the richest are expected to emit 22 times more than the poorest, up from 20 times today. Revised policies that tackle domestic flying and excess private car use could lessen inequality and reduce emissions faster overall. Wealthy white men from rural areas are biggest emitters. Fairer policy can cut carbon faster and build a healthier, more inclusive transport system.

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