The logistics sector as a whole is passionate about meeting the government target of becoming a zero-emission industry, but it needs support.
As our regular readers will know, we are very environmentally conscious here in ATC. All of our vehicles adhere to the latest EURO standards. We also use the Eco Driving System to give us a better insight into our driver’s style of driving and fuel consumption so that we can reduce our carbon footprint as a company.
It’s been some time since I wrote my blog about our industry’s mission to Safeguard Our Environment and indeed a lot has taken place since then. These past three months have brought about a global pandemic and in a strange turn of events, an opportunity for us to pause and reflect on our next move to mitigate climate change. Today I want to share with you what we know so far from the experts in our industry and the broader environmental community.
FTAI Call for Change
At the national level, we had just come through a general election before the pandemic struck the world. The FTAI were in favour of change of Government stating; “Climate issues are of grave concern to commercial let operators; the sector is committed to reducing its environmental impact wherever possible, but the Government’s current emission targets are, in the view of the FTAI, unfeasible. To successfully transition to a Zero-emission industry, we need a leadership team that understands the challenges businesses are facing; it must design its policies with these issues in mind”.
Two critical changes that the FTAI recommended include:
(1) Introduction of Reduced Toll Fees for Those Driving Alternatively Fuelled Heavy-Duty Vehicles
(2) Establishment of Vehicle Purchasing Grants to Increase Update of Low Emission Vehicles
The European Green Deal
The European Green Deal is a roadmap of policy initiatives set out by the European Commission to reach a goal of Europe being climate neutral by 2050. To be climate neutral means that organisations and individuals have removed as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as each put into it, to reduce the carbon footprint to zero.
Just before the pandemic hit, the EU was said to be working on updating the environmental and energy legislation under the European Green Deal. A coalition of vehicle manufacturers is calling on the EU to adopt a more technology neutral approach. “All alternative fuels must play a role in the energy transition…Europe should not dismiss solutions that are already available, cost-effective, commercially viable and that positively contribute to the energy transition.”
As I mentioned above, the logistics industry is determined to become a zero-emissions industry, but we need support to make this transition as a group successfully. For example, there is a call for us to move over to using electric vehicles, but the concern is that there are not enough charging points available across the road network.
Global Change
From a global standpoint, we are currently facing an unprecedented pandemic and Governments around the world are working tirelessly to bring this health crisis under control while also working on measures to aid our economic recovery and be more resilient.
The pandemic has opened up a conversation among environmentalists on how we move forward and recover our economies while staying on track to reach our environmental commitments by 2050.
Francesco La Camera, the Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency suggests that “by making the energy transition an integral part of the wider recovery, governments can achieve multiple economic and social objectives in the pursuit of a resilient further that leaves nobody behind”.
We’re All In This Together
As we emerge from this global pandemic, Andrew Steer, Chief Executive of the World Resources Institute, suggests that we all have a choice to make. “Do we pursue a modern, clean, healthy energy system, or can we go back to the old, polluting ways of doing business?”
I know what we opt for as a company.
Thanks for taking the time to read this piece. Please take care of yourselves and be mindful of your carbon footprint.
Alan Young
Founder and Director
