COP26: how the climate crisis is changing the way we travel

Watch a report by Raveena Ghattaura


The COP26 climate change summit has begun in Glasgow.

The conference, taking place between 31 October and 12 November, will be the 26th time world leaders have come together to discuss how they will cut greenhouse gases across the globe and help the planet.

One of the things many of us can change is the way we move, with cars being one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.

Road transport accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions - rising faster than those of any other sector. 

The majority of emissions come from cars and taxis, but a shift to zero emission vehicles is already underway, with schemes like car sharing and electric car ownership.

The government is investing £620m in grants for electric vehicles and street charging points, to reach a target of net zero by 2050.

Last year, the UK's first electric forecourt opened at Great Notley, near Braintree.

The Gridserve site can charge up to 36 cars at once and the energy comes from solar power, where drivers can charge their vehicles up to 200 miles, within 20 minutes.

Construction on the company's second electric forecourt is underway on the Broadland Gate Business Park, near the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) at Postwick near Norwich.

More than 100 are due to open over the next five years, as part of a £1 billion initiative.

The sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned from 2030 and hybrids, by 2035.

It is part of what Boris Johnson calls a "green industrial revolution" to tackle climate change and create jobs in industries such as nuclear energy.

Car showrooms up and down East Anglia are seeing more and more people turn to electric.

At Rawlinson in Bury St Edmunds, 20 per cent of customers are now coming in to enquire about a more eco-friendly car. Colin and Fiona Barnes have been driving petrol and diesel cars for the last 40 years, but are now thinking about making a change.

"We think it is the right time to seriously do something a bit more eco, so as long as the cost is not too inhibitive then that is the route we would probably like to take", Colin said.

"Our children and grandchildren will benefit from this, but if we just ignore it, it will only get worse. It has got to be the way the future is going.

"Eventually cost wise I think it will be cheaper to run."

If you use a car frequently, the first step to cutting down your emissions may well be to consider the alternatives available, like car sharing.

Liftshare in Norwich was the first car-sharing system provider in the UK, 23 years ago. Commuting makes up 5% of the UK’s total emissions, so the company's mission from day one was to make travel greener and help people save money with things like parking costs and petrol.

"92 per cent of commuters have somebody who they could share a lift with so they are the people we are going after", said Meleiha Youngs, Liftshare.

"There is 47m empty seats on UK roads every morning in rush hour, so we want to be shifting roads, reducing the number of cars on the road to be making impact today, which is absolutely critical if we want to meet our net zero goals."