Tel: 03450 450 500
Email: sustainability@scambs.gov.uk (This link will open in a new window)
About these pages
- The Low-Carbon Living pages have just been launched and are currently under review. You are welcome to send your comments to sustainability@scambs.gov.uk (This link will open in a new window)
Our Partners
- South Cambridgeshire's Environment Group
Help address the issues and monitor the progress of the Community Strategy, which contains a series of actions to help improve the quality of life across the district and that tackle climate change.
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Climate Change Network
A cross-sectoral partnership providing support to public and private sector organisations as well as local communities seeking to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
- South Cambridgeshire Strategic Partnership
The South Cambridgeshire Strategic Partnership (or LSP: Local Strategic Partnership) is a partnership between the council and various partners to work together towards achieving economic, environmental and social standards for the district.
3.2 ENERGY FACTS > WHILST TRAVELLING
When it comes to travelling, whether it is to go to work, school, shops or for tourism, the car is our first choice of transport. Car use currently accounts for about 84% of our travels. As we burn fossil fuels to power our cars, we emit a significant amount of greenhouse gases (especially CO2) into the atmosphere.
Transport statistics
- The distance travelled by domestic passengers has increased by 65% between 1980 and 2006, mainly through car travel and is still expected to rise by 2.6% per year.
- 1/4 of all car trips are less than 2 miles
- The distance travelled by bus and coaches was in 2006 lower than in 1980 whilst distance travelled by air has more than trebled during that period.
Transport and the environment
- The transport sector accounted in 2002 for 22% of the UK's total CO2 emissions (this exclude aviation as there is no international agreement to allocate the emissions from this type of transport).
- Travelling by train instead of planes will reduce CO2 emissions by 10 times on average for the same distance. This number should be much greater if we take into account that the environmental damage of emitting CO2 in the upper atmosphere has got a much greater impact than the same quantity emitted at ground level.
- Buses cause less pollution than cars: A bus carrying approximately 20 people will create far less pollution than 20 cars carrying one person each.
- Europe is the largest bio-diesel producer worldwide. 100% use of bio-diesel would reduce the CO2 emission of a car by 40-50% during the car's life cycle.
Reducing transport usage
- Bicycle use has been falling steadily since the 1970s, despite the fact that more of us than ever own bicycles
- Bus services in the UK receive less Government subsidy than in any other country in the EU
- London's congestion charge has led to 30% fewer traffic delays inside the charging zone than before charging was introduced; bus passenger journeys have also increased
Car usage
- Under-inflated car tyres create more resistance, making your engine work harder, so it uses more fuel and produces more CO2 emissions.
- Driving faster uses more fuel and produces more CO2 emissions. Going at 70mph could use up to 9% more fuel than 60mph, and up to 15% more than 50mph.
- On average, each litre of fuel burnt in a car engine releases more than 2.5kg of CO2. On average a two-mile journey releases 0.6kg of CO2 per person whilst releasing only 0.2kg if using a train and 0.3kg for a bus journey.
- Speed at 85mph uses approx 25% more fuel than 70mph.
- Air conditioning uses 20-25% more fuel.
