Press release: 23 November 2020

UK Spending Review: Leading transport businesses want plan on air pollution

Fifteen transport businesses and organisations including DPD and Lime have joined forces with environmental law charity ClientEarth to urge the UK government to fast-track action on air pollution.

In an open letter to the Chancellor, sent today, the group calls on the government to support a four-point plan for a resilient economy that would benefit the planet and people’s health.

The call comes as the Prime Minister has announced a Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, which will see the UK ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030, 10 years before the originally scheduled date.

The group says the plan would help provide a roadmap for the period between now and the 2030 ban.

It also comes as the Chancellor prepares to present a Spending Review on 25 November, which will lay out the government's spending plans for the year ahead.

Dominic Phinn, who leads business engagement on air pollution at ClientEarth, said: “The government has announced a slew of ambitious reforms to tackle the climate and air pollution crises. Businesses now want to see if this is going to be backed up by a clear roadmap with incentives, regulation and funding. This would allow them invest in cleaner forms of transport with confidence.”

In the letter, the group is calling for:

  • A ‘mobility credit scheme’ to incentivise people to switch from an older polluting vehicle to a cleaner form of transport, such as zero emission exhaust vehicles (ZEEVs)
  • Increased funding for businesses developing technologies that support a zero emission transport system
  • Measures, e.g. a time-limited VAT rebate or exemption, that would incentivise the uptake of cleaner vehicles until they reach cost-parity with petrol and diesel counterparts
  • A long-term plan for delivering ZEEV infrastructure, to accompany the £1.3bn announced in the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan

Phinn added: “We need to be honest: some businesses are opposing the inevitable direction of travel. But there is also broad appetite in the UK business community to fight against the negative impacts of air pollution. This action plan has real teeth and if the government takes it up, businesses will have the clarity they need to move forward with the transition.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The signatories to the open letter to the Prime Minister are: DPD, UPS UK, LeasePlan, Lime, Osprey Charging, Liberty Charge, Dennis Eagle, Ricardo, Volta Trucks, Octopus EV, CMS Supatrak, The British Retail Consortium, The Westminster Commission on Road Air Quality, Global Action Plan and ClientEarth.

Air pollution is recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the biggest environmental health risk in the world. It also tops the list of environment health hazards in the UK and is estimated to cause the equivalent of up to 40,000 early deaths a year.

Transport is currently the UK's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions as well as being a major contributor to air pollution.

Nearly 700,000 direct jobs could be created in England’s low-carbon and renewable energy economy by 2030, with 14% of these jobs directly involved in manufacturing low-emission vehicles and the associated infrastructure.

About ClientEarth

ClientEarth is a charity that uses the power of the law to protect people and the planet. We are international lawyers finding practical solutions for the world’s biggest environmental challenges. We are fighting climate change, protecting oceans and wildlife, making forest governance stronger, greening energy, making business more responsible and pushing for government transparency. We believe the law is a tool for positive change. From our offices in London, Brussels, Warsaw, Berlin and Beijing, we work on laws throughout their lifetime, from the earliest stages to implementation. And when those laws are broken, we go to court to enforce them.