Scope for reduction in transport CO2 emissions by modal shift

The UK is committed to achieving an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions, with reference to a 1990 baseline, by 2050. With the exception of industries covered by the emissions trading regime, there is no national strategy on the proportion of this reduction that will be made by each sector of the economy; however all sectors will find the targets very challenging and all will be expected to make deep cuts in emissions. Strategies have been postulated for cutting CO2 from the domestic, commercial and industrial sectors but there is no plausible strategy for achieving a substantial reduction in emissions from the transport sector. One of the mechanisms frequently suggested for reducing emissions is modal shift from more polluting modes to less polluting modes – principally from road to rail. However, there has been no analysis of the scale of transfer that might be practicable and thus the reductions that would be made