Two
of the main aims of the European plan on climate change involve the
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use by 20% by 2020.
The UK Climate Change Act provides a framework for seeking annual
reductions in CO2 emissions culminating in an 80% reduction by 2050.
One area requiring significant decarbonisation is transport, given its
general reliance on fossil fuels and low carbon reduction to date. Cuts
in emissions from the transport sector can come from (1) efficiency
savings in the use of existing methods of trasnport, (2) modal shift to
low-emission travel, (3) the transfer from fossil fuels to low carbon
fuels, and (4) the development of new low carbon mobility systems.
Research
at The Open University has focussed on the transition towards transport
designs and systems that offer the potential for a radical reduction in
overall energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. This
cross-disciplinary programme has included work on travel behaviour,
low-carbon vehicle technologies, energy use in transport and city
systems, traffic modelling, the management of radical transport
developments, transport taxation, and transport policy implementation.
Further Information
For
further
information on OU energy and sustainable transport research, please
contact Professor Stephen Potter (Professor of Transport Strategy):