Sustain – A – Drive

In the area I grew up in, on the South coast of England, many adults own a car. Living between two thriving dock cities, private cars where just a normality rather than a luxury item. As I reached the age of 17, I applied for a driving licence and was driving in my own car within a year, was that a wise decision of mine?

The common use for my Ford Fiesta is leisure. But on entering the car and turning the ignition on, I never think to myself 'what effect am I having on the environment around me when I drive?' It is an understanding that there is a suggested link between the carbon dioxide emissions and the theory of global warming, or acceptance of climate change. So by driving my car around, when I could have caught the bus, what effect have I had, a negative one!

The UK have released ‘Sustainable Development indicators in your pocket 2008’ guide to whether the government are on track to completing their targets for a more sustainable way of living in the UK. In this guide are 68 indicators of sustainability, one being private cars.

73% of Households in England have the access to at least one private car. In my street, at my parent’s home, in Fareham, every house has a drive and a garage. Every night, the road will be full of cars, in drives, garages and over spilling to the road. My household its self, will have 5 vehicles at least, of which only 3 can be parked off road. This is a re-occurring site over England as people become more independent and adamant to have their own car. The accessibility of being able to just get in your car and drive is more appealing to people than waiting for a bus or public transport. The problem with this habit and way of life is only just starting to show affects, as car use has dramatically risen in the last 50 years.

Barry Simpson wrote in 2006, regarding the idea to reduce carbon dioxide from road transport, ‘57% of carbon dioxide emissions from transport came from the private car.’ Simpson also noted that ‘Britain contributes around 2% of world carbon dioxide discharges and transport accounts 28% of this.’ With high proportions of private cars being used, carbon dioxide emissions are unlikely to fall, and therefore as an indicator of sustainable living, private car for the moment is not going to achieve its target, although is a clear indicator, that sustainable living cannot be achieved with such high emissions.

The enthusiasm of reducing carbon emissions will only reach people through the Local Authorities. As 72% of the English population over the age of 17, in 2006 held a drivers licence, there is no deterrent or initiative for people to be more lenient to use public transport or car share, but to own their own licence and theoretically speaking go on to drive a private car. Without better education of what the government are trying to achieve and more of an emphasis of every little helps and that we are all in this situation and we all need to cut back, then little will likely change.

Knowing the less use of my car and better use of public transport will benefit the world, for a more sustainable future, encourages me to hope on a bus next time I am off shopping!






References

Barry Simpson, 2006 Reducing carbon dioxide emissions from UK road transport.
http://www.thomastelford.com/journals/DocumentLibrary/muen.2006.159.4.203.pdf

Households and Accessibility to Cars
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/profiles/commentaries/housing.asp#cars

Transport 2001 Census
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1935

Driving Licence Holders 2001 Census
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1093

Car Access
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1770