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On Friday May 10, 2019, the Dail declared a climate and biodiversity emergency in Ireland. A few councils have voted for the same since.
Transport is the area I follow the most, so, I’m asking what would we do if we applied real climate emergency thinking to transport?
(1/?)
Transport is the area I follow the most, so, I’m asking what would we do if we applied real climate emergency thinking to transport?
(1/?)
Transport emissions account for over 20% of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions — that’s up from 9.5% in 1990.
A key point is that the 20% excludes international aviation and sea transport. This is often overlooked which leads to excuses such as “but, we live on an island” etc.
A key point is that the 20% excludes international aviation and sea transport. This is often overlooked which leads to excuses such as “but, we live on an island” etc.
That’s not to say that we can be dismissive of international travel, we cannot. It was still growing in 2019. It’s just recorded separately according to UN and EU rules.
This data and the charts in the previous and next tweet is from the EPA: http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/air/airemissions/ghgprovemissions2019/EPA-Prov_GHG-Inventory-Report-1990-2019_final.pdf
This data and the charts in the previous and next tweet is from the EPA: http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/air/airemissions/ghgprovemissions2019/EPA-Prov_GHG-Inventory-Report-1990-2019_final.pdf
Speaking of the EU, transport (and agriculture and residual) emissions are a significantly higher percentage of emissions counted towards the EU’s Effort Sharing Decision framework... but maybe we should be looking at the total actual emissions and not what makes the EU happy?
Of transport emissions from domestic travel and transport — the big green bit is road transport and a whooping 63% of that is passenger cars.
This means passenger cars account for around 13% of Ireland’s emissions (as counted under UN rules). As far as I know http://IrishCycle.com is the only media outlet of any kind to report that: https://irishcycle.com/2019/09/22/car-use-amounts-to-13-of-irelands-greenhouse-gas-emissions/
But a good chunk of those trips are long distance, right? Wrong. The National Household Travel Survey 2017 (NTA) shows only 32% of trips are over 10km:
The bias in both the media and our perception that more trips are longer ones is likely down to a number of factors — including everything from fewer people are going to complain about their sub 5km commute to commenters and media personalities being more mobile for work etc.
Whatever about existing trips, we’re still building local and national infrastructure designed around car trips rather than focusing on at least pushing most new trips to sustainable transport. Some counties are choosing what to build depending on their emissions budget...
Many articles on motorways etc (first image) have no mention of climate change, while where it’s mentioned by objectors (image 2-3) it’s in the 16th or so paragraph far under where in the reporter’s own words say that the bypass is a key part of addressing congestion:
One more lane will fix it? It won’t, if you build for car traffic you’ll get more and more of it: https://twitter.com/urbanthoughts11/status/1348545260524285952
Of, course, there is a different way: https://twitter.com/fietsprofessor/status/1306655700974800896
But just last year An Bord Pleanála, the body which has oversight over roads in Ireland, rejected its own inspectors findings that a new dual carriageway planned to service a residential area just outside the M50 in Dublin, will increase climate emissions: https://irishcycle.com/2020/01/05/an-bord-pleanala-deny-climate-impact-of-new-dublin-dual-carriageway/
In its only apparent defence of the board denying the climate impact of the road, the board claimed that “the proposed road would not have an adverse impact on climate associated with improved car journey times or increased car dependency as the use of more sustainable...”
“... modes is actively encouraged and facilitated through the proposed road” — this is totally and utterly nonsense. It’s the kind of 1970s thinking in the UK and Ireland that loads of large roads are grand because buses use roads.
The sustainable transport provision is poor, the design of the cycle routes along the road is rubbish (see the article for basic details) and, even if you added bus lanes, this isn’t how you do bus priory in new areas (it should be done via bus only roads or sections of roads).
The reverse was the College Green Plaza rejection by An Bord Pleanála in 2018. Both the inspector’s and the board’s views were coloured by transport analysts which is old-school thinking which dismisses basics in sustainable and active transport planning: https://irishcycle.com/2018/10/23/college-green-plaza-planners-were-wrong-and-their-thinking-would-stop-liveable-cities/
Loads of climate change scientists and reports have pushed the idea that active and other sustainable transport should be a key part of climate action. This was endorsed by a very high percentage of the Citizens Assembly on climate change: https://irishcycle.com/2017/11/05/citizens-assembly-votes-for-greater-funding-space-and-priority-for-buses-and-cycling/
Much like climate action in general, sustainable transport isn’t held back by hardened objectors. It’s mainly held back by people in the centre who say one thing and the object to projects, or more often who say sustainable transport is great, but then pushes electric cars first.
