Recommendation 26

Despite the UK’s heavy dependence on oil for transport, and transport’s status as the highest emitting sector, it is barely mentioned in the British Energy Security Accelerating the transition from fossil fuels and securing energy supplies 85 Strategy and was left out of the new national ambition to reduce energy consumption by 15% by 2030. We acknowledge the Government’s leadership in setting a date to end the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030 and the encouraging rate of growth in the sale of electric vehicles. We note however that it may take many years for a full turnover of the vehicle fleet and that transport emissions have flatlined for the last decade. For the UK to meet its successive carbon budgets under the Climate Change Act 2008 and the Paris Agreement, transport emissions must start coming down more rapidly.