Energy and Sustainable Transport

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):

Telephone: 01908 652634
URL: http://www9.open.ac.uk/mct/people/Stephen.Potter

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