The Department for Transport (DfT) has been accused of “going rogue” on climate change, side-lining climate considerations from its plans.
The accusation is included within a new report commissioned by environmental organisation Friends of the Earth, and features a raft of recommendations and institutional changes required to bring the Chris Grayling-led department “back on track”.
The report, entitled ‘Getting the Department for Transport on the right track’, was commissioned by Friends of the Earth and authored by both Lisa Hopkinson and Lynn Sloman from Transport for Quality of Life, a think tank conducting policy research on the transport sector.
It points to the Climate Change Act in particular, claiming that the legislation should ensure that all departments contribute towards the UK’s climate targets, before pointing the finger at DfT for pursuing projects including road building which stand to make emissions worse.
Instead, the department should establish a carbon budget to run parallel to its financial budget, and draw up a plan to demonstrate how it will cut carbon emissions covering aviation and shipping as well as road transport.
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