As 69% of British adults planning to travel are expected to take a car journey this autumn, a total 186,200 tCO2e of carbon emissions could be saved if each took just one journey by train rather than car.
Working with experts from University College London (UCL) Energy Institute, LNER has analyzed the data on the impact that taking autumn excursions by car will have, with 25% of people taking more than one leisure trip this autumn in an attempt to seek a final holiday before the winter sets in.
Switching just one leisure journey to train this autumn could result in a 28.4% reduction on total journey carbon emissions, and across one year could result in a 16.6% reduction of annual leisure travel emissions (1099.63 million kgC02e).
Rather than make drastic lifestyle changes, British adults prefer to make more manageable changes, but 36% feel they don’t have enough knowledge about the impact small changes can have on the environment. There is a large appetite to change, with 59% of adults increasingly aware of the impact they have on climate change and almost one in three (30%) feeling overwhelmed with a sense of responsibility to help support the environment by changing their lifestyle.
LNER is helping customers take climate change into their own hands by showing people the difference they could help to make this autumn, just by switching one leisure journey to train rather than car. On average carbon emissions from cars are three times higher than that of a train, meaning the collective power of one small change could be a monumental shift.
Whilst some travelers may feel that their single journey will not make a difference, the collective impact of everyone changing just one journey would be huge – comparable to the filling the volume of the Elizabeth Tower which houses Big Ben over 22,000 times, or Wembley Stadium 25 times in carbon emissions. LNER is asking that rather than a huge lifestyle shift of throwing away the car keys and converting to trains forever, travelers try one journey to do their small part to help.
The research also shows that 70% of adults are at least somewhat concerned about the environmental impact of travel and more than a third (34%) would like to reduce their carbon footprint, but 28% feel that changing their travel habits will not have a large enough impact on the environment.
LNER’s carbon calculator helps people to discover the difference that a journey made by rail could have. For example, the calculator shows that a one-way journey between York and London produces just 12.34 KG CO2 e by train, whereas a journey by car would produces a shocking 41.36 KG CO2 e.
As almost two thirds of adults (63%) feel that there should be more assistance to help people understand and calculate their carbon footprint, the carbon calculator is just one thing LNER has introduced to assist customers in choosing a more environmentally friendly journey. Two-thirds (66%) feel that those responsible for travel should make it easier for travelers to be more sustainable, something which the carbon calculator seeks to achieve.
David Horne, managing director at LNER, said, “We know that being greener is hugely important but many of us aren’t sure on our role and how our individual actions can make a difference. As cars emit three times more carbon emissions than rail and with so many people planning on using the car for a leisure trip this autumn, we’re asking people to consider travelling by train just once to do their bit to cut emissions.”
Paul Ekins, professor of resources and environmental Policy at the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, added, “Often we talk about climate change in large scales such as icebergs melting and sea level rise, and this can make the issue feel overwhelming and unmanageable, and discourage people from making changes in their lives that can help.
“What our research has concluded is that small changes made by enough people really do make a difference. Just one journey switched from car or bus to train by everyone who takes a leisure trip in a year could reduce carbon emissions by over 1 million tonnes of CO2, or 16.6% of emissions from leisure trips, or nearly 1% of all UK 2019 transport emissions. This is a really big contribution from just one small change in a year to people’s daily lives.”