Path to Net Zero

WORLD LEADERS gathered at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November 2021 to reach agreement on how to tackle climate change; the need to accelerate the transition to zero emission transport at the tailpipe was a key consensus at the event and will be a priority for UK industry and government alike over the coming years.

Logistics UK and its members are keen to support global environmental ambitions wherever possible; that is why we launched our environmental manifesto on 10 November 2021 – Transport Day at COP26 – to communicate with government and other stakeholders the support industry needs to reach Net Zero by 2050.

Road transport

Decarbonising road transport is an urgent priority for all those in the sector – according to COP26's research, emissions produced by this industry are rising faster than those of any other area of the economy – so COP26 leaders are calling on countries and states, vehicle manufacturers, and fleet-owning businesses to all play their parts on the global journey towards Net Zero emissions.

Countries are being asked to commit to ensuring all new car and van sales are zero emission by 2035 or 2040, depending on how advanced their market is, and to put in place policies to accelerate the uptake of zero emission cars, vans, buses, and trucks.

While electrification currently offers the most viable low to zero carbon solution for lighter commercial vehicles (LCVs) – and these vehicles are readily available for purchase across the UK – the picture for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) is more complex and uncertain. Government feasibility studies are now exploring three zero-tailpipe emission options: battery electric, electric road systems and hydrogen. Moving to zero tailpipe emission technologies presents a significant challenge as the vehicles must be able to perform all the same functions and operations as effectively as their diesel equivalents, in a similarly cost-effective way for businesses.

With 70% of respondents to a Logistics UK survey either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the availability of supportive infrastructure for alternatively fuelled vehicles, the government must commit to ensuring public refuelling and chargepoint infrastructure can be developed rapidly, installed and is accessible for use by commercial vehicles, with the strategic road network a priority. Depot charging will be essential, so a fair and equitable approach to funding power upgrades is needed if this technology is to be adopted. 

Whether the future solutions for HGVs are battery electric, electric road systems or hydrogen, all require substantial infrastructure investment and energy capacity.

Multimodal

All modes of logistics transport are of crucial importance to moving essential goods and supplies around the UK and beyond. Like road transport, significant challenges and opportunities exist for decarbonsing air, rail and water transport modes. While modal shift from road to rail and waterborne freight can deliver environmental benefits, the government should not dictate which mode is selected; the right policy framework will enable rail and water freight to offer an alternative to road so that each mode is able to play its optimal role in the supply chain. Advances in technologies for low carbon solutions for air, rail and sea freight transport are progressing fast; it will take industry and government working together to realise the Net Nero by 2050 ambition.

For more details on Logistics UK’s environmental work, and to download the business group’s environmental manifesto, please visit logistics.org.uk/environment 

Michelle Gardner, Head of Public Policy, Logistics UK