There are lots of different ways to address climate change, and not all of them are fair or ethical. How we reach a low emissions future is just as important as the goal itself, which is why ‘just transition’ principles matter. A just transition is one that asks the right people to take action, that doesn’t leave anyone behind, and that doesn’t place the burden of change on those at the margins.
There’s a good example of this from the thinktank IPPR, who last week released a report into transport emissions and equality. They show how emissions tend to rise with wealth. Rich people drive more and take more flights. Those on the lowest incomes often use more public transport, with many not having a car at all.
To get behind the numbers and understand more about how people actually travel, the researchers identified ten different travel profiles. At the top of the transport ladder are the highly affluent, who enjoy ‘unrestricted mobility’. They can afford any journey they care to take. There are also those who don’t travel extensively every day, but take a lot of flights over the course of a year.
Then you have some middle class categories, including urbanites who fly on holiday and use the trains more than they drive. Suburban homeowners or those in the countryside may be very car dependent.
At the bottom of the transport ladder are those taking the fewest journeys. That may be because they can’t afford to travel much, or it may be because they have a disability that prevents them from doing so.
IPPR point out that each of these ten groups has a different responsibility when it comes to climate change, and they shouldn’t all be treated the same way. Those at the top need to reduce their flying, use more public transport and shift to an electric car – all of the above please.
For those who only fly on holiday once a year, it’s more important to encourage public and active transport than it is to go after that one flight. And for those who are very car dependent, for rural communities with poor transport links for example, the priority will be EVs.
Climate change messaging is more likely to be received positively where it authentically meets people’s travel habits, otherwise it is easy to reject. There are too many reasons why it doesn’t apply to me, and therefore I don’t need to do anything. At its worst, it may even turn people off from the whole idea of climate action, which begins to feel like an imposition from others who don’t understand their context.
You can look up the various travel profiles in the report – it’s short and nicely presented. For IPPR it’s the start of a bigger project to look at more people-focused approaches to sustainable transport, and I look forward to hearing more about their research.
The Earthbound Report 