How Autonomous Vehicles Can Help Fight Climate Change
It’s important that we pursue a car-free future. Autonomous vehicles can help to bridge the gap to that future in a sustainable way.
In 2019, transport was the sector with the highest levels of carbon dioxide emissions in the UK, with a 34% share of the UK’s total emissions. That’s more than even energy supply, which stood at 25% of the UK’s emitted CO2. It’s clear that, if we’re going to make any kind of progress towards the net-zero emissions target, then how we travel will have to be radically re-thought over the coming years.
Energy supply has already largely been diversified in the UK, with coal being virtually entirely phased out. Nuclear and renewables accounted for 54% of the UK’s energy supply last year, explaining some of the big drop in energy emissions over the last few years. More efficient technology is constantly being developed too, reducing the need for energy and electricity, and while we should be looking to rapidly quicken the pace, energy emissions are declining promisingly.
As mentioned, nuclear energy has been a big part of that emerging trend. It accounts for roughly 18% of the UK’s energy, helping to reduce emissions. It is not often argued that nuclear is a long-term solution, both because…
