DOE Climate Change Proposals Sustrans response to Proposals for Taking Forward NI Climate Change Legislation January 2016
About Sustrans Sustrans makes smarter travel choices possible, desirable and inevitable. We re a leading UK charity enabling people to travel by foot, bike or public transport for more of the journeys we make every day. We work with families, communities, policy-makers and partner organisations so that people are able to choose healthier, cleaner and cheaper journeys, with better places and spaces to move through and live in. It s time we all began making smarter travel choices. Make your move and support Sustrans today. www.sustrans.org.uk Submitted by Anne Madden, Policy & Media Advisor, Sustrans Sustrans Northern Ireland Ground Floor, Premier Business Centres, 20 Adelaide Street, Belfast BT2 8GD Tel: 028 9043 4569 Email: anne.madden@sustrans.org.uk Head Office Sustrans 2 Cathedral Square College Green Bristol BS1 5DD Sustrans January 2016 Registered Charity No. 326550 (England and Wales) SC039263 (Scotland) VAT Registration No. 416740656 1 DOE Climate Change Proposals Submitted by Anne Madden, Policy & Media Advisor, Sustrans January 2016
Proposals 1. Make provisions for a long term target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; 2. Make provisions for interim targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We support the need to set targets, both long-term and interim, and that there is a planned strategy to reduce the harmful impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The UK Climate Change Act 2008 has already set a long-term target of at least 80% reductions in emissions by 2050 and notes that the devolved administrations, which includes Northern Ireland, account for around 20% of the UK s total emissions. The Act has also set interim targets of 34% reductions in GHG emissions by 2020. However, Northern Ireland remains the only devolved region without a specific Climate Change Act and given the Environment is a devolved power it is important to have the local legislature make statutory targets. A Bill with targets should be introduced. Northern Ireland has an Executive Programme for Government target of a 35% reduction in GHG emissions by 2025 from a 1990 base year. Our view is that a Climate Change Bill is required in order to achieve this Programme for Government target. The majority of respondents to the pre-consultation exercise in 2013 on proposals for climate change legislation were in favour of targets 59% support for a long-term target; and 58% support for interim targets. Interim targets will allow continual review of how successful Northern Ireland is in achieving reductions of GHG emissions and allow for a change in actions to keep on course to reach targets. 3. Place a duty to set limits in carbon budgets on the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions that can be emitted in Northern Ireland. We support this measure. The UK Climate Change Act 2008 has provisions for 5 year carbon budgets which covers all the UK. However, we note the Environment (Wales) Bill will set carbon budgets, so again having a Northern Ireland Act would be helpful in setting these. 4. Provide powers to request specified public bodies to report on their transition towards a low carbon economy and their plans to adapt to the effects of climate change. This is an excellent approach to ensure public bodies are considering and implementing changes towards a low carbon economy. It is essential that government sets the example to lead the way for the rest of Northern Ireland. Given the large public sector in Northern Ireland we believe this would make a significant impact on the transition to a low carbon economy. Also transport is the second largest emitter of GHG in Northern Ireland (18%) and public transport is government-run. Ensuring companies such as Translink reduce their carbon emissions by setting targets provides a good example for the transport sector as a whole. 5. Contain provisions to establish a Northern Ireland Committee on Climate Change or to designate an existing body to exercise advisory functions should it be decided that this is appropriate. The existing UK Committee already provides robust advice and given the pressures on the public purse, the cost of setting up an independent Northern Ireland Committee could be prohibitively expensive. This is being mindful of the Environment Minister s aim to have a low carbon environment and strong economy. Furthermore, as quoted in the report Climate change does not respect border (s). Sustrans would like the focus to be on ensuring the UK 2 DOE Climate Change Proposals Submitted by Anne Madden, Policy & Media Advisor, Sustrans January 2016
Committee continues to provide good advice rather than establish a separate Northern Ireland Committee. 6. Contain a requirement for Northern Ireland to obtain an independent assessment for progress made towards implementing the objectives, proposals and policies set out in the Northern Ireland Climate Change Adaptation Programme. We would support a Bill containing a requirement for Northern Ireland to obtain an independent assessment on progress in the Northern Ireland Climate Change Adaptation Programme. This would help ensure the robustness of data and research on climate change, bench-marking it against other regions and countries in the EU and further afield. It would offer another evidence-based perspective on government s priorities for adapting to a low carbon economy. 7. Other comments Sustrans works to promote active travel, such as walking and cycling for people s everyday journeys to benefit people s health and the environment. Our research shows the huge savings on greenhouse gas emissions from people using the National Cycle Network (NCN). Sustrans research found there were more than 29 million car trips replaced annually by people choosing to walk or cycle across the UK using the NCN (as of 2013). This equated to 30 million kgs of CO 2 saved. A Climate Change Bill for Northern Ireland should contain targets that aim to encourage more people to use sustainable modes of transport and get more people walking or cycling. As transport emissions are the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Northern Ireland this is an important element in changing to a low carbon economy. There are also economic benefits to promoting active travel which has been calculated by our Research & Monitoring Unit, based on the usage of the NCN alone. See attached document (Appendix). While government needs to lead on moving to a low carbon economy, the population can and should also take responsibility itself. Cycling and walking needs to become attractive and feasible modes of transport for many more people. Part of that means behavioural change programmes to get people out of their cars and making alternatives available to them through investment in better cycling and walking infrastructure, as well as improving public transport. Sustrans runs a UK-wide event called The Big Pedal which is a schools activity to promote children cycling to school. In Northern Ireland in 2015, 67 schools took part and made over 33,000 bike and scooter journeys to school over a three week period. As a result they avoided more than 50,000 car journeys. We calculated that this saved more than 10,500 in fuel costs and prevented approximately 23 tonnes of CO 2 being emitted. Although this is a small-scale project, the principle of encouraging the next generation to travel actively cannot be underestimated. If schemes like this were better supported and the school run congestion tackled, there would be huge savings on greenhouse gas emissions. Sustrans in Northern Ireland has been leading a bid for European funding for the CHIPS (Cycling Highways Innovation for People and Spatial Planning) project. There are nine partner countries involved in the bid, with Sustrans the only UK partner. The aim of the project is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting the number of people commuting by car. If the 3 DOE Climate Change Proposals Submitted by Anne Madden, Policy & Media Advisor, Sustrans January 2016
bid is successful we will lead a Europe-wide programme of behaviour change surveying the nine partners to identify in each of their areas the barriers as to why people don t commute to work by bike. Our role will be to identify the main barriers and establish generic programmes (up to ten) to address them. In East Belfast the programme will encourage workers to use the Comber Greenway and Belfast Rapid Transit for their daily commute. We have support from the Department for Regional Development and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in the Republic of Ireland and are working on getting match funding. If the bid is successful the project could begin in March 2016. We look forward to the progress of a Climate Change Bill for Northern Ireland which puts sustainable transport at the heart of its agenda. 4 DOE Climate Change Proposals Submitted by Anne Madden, Policy & Media Advisor, Sustrans January 2016
Appendix Economic impact of the National Cycle Network This report identifies some of the benefits of the National Cycle Network (NCN), from the wider economic benefits of the whole network to the impact on the communities through which it runs. The economic benefits of the NCN since 1995 are estimated to be 7.3 billion, with health benefits accounting for 6 billion The benefit cost ratio (BCR) of the NCN to date is 5.93:1, a huge improvement over road schemes that often fail to achieve a 2:1 BCR The development and maintenance of the NCN has sustained or created 4,259 jobs since 1995, with nearly 400 jobs created or sustained in the financial year 2014/15 People who used the NCN to access shopping areas in 2014 spent at least 1.27 billion, 29% more than they would have if they had travelled by car This report uses the Department for Transport s appraisal framework (webtag) as a basis for estimating the overall economic benefit of the NCN as well as using data from two of Sustrans largest projects, Linking Communities and Connect2 to calculate some of the other economic benefits of the NCN. Benefit of the NCN to the UK economy We conservatively estimate that the NCN has benefited the UK economy by over 7 billion since it began in 1995. This means that for every pound that has been spent expanding and developing the NCN, the economy has benefited by nearly six pounds. Table 1 Summary of economic benefits of the NCN since 1995 Benefit Cyclists Pedestrians Total Health 1,491,540,075 4,791,512,213 6,283,052,289 Absenteeism 101,328,989 93,307,485 194,636,474 Amenity 719,431,161 10,518,456 729,949,618 GHGs 9,866,226 1,900,693 11,766,920 Accidents 18,918,637 3,645,771 22,564,408 Decongestion 111,605,782 21,500,457 133,106,239 Air quality 907,364 174,800 1,082,165 Noise 907,364 174,800 1,082,165 Infrastructure 907,364 174,800 1,082,165 Indirect Taxation - 45,368,204-8,740,023-54,108,227 Total 2,410,044,759.29 4,914,169,453.81 7,324,214,213 5 DOE Climate Change Proposals Submitted by Anne Madden, Policy & Media Advisor, Sustrans January 2016
We have also estimated the number of car trips that are replaced each year by people using the NCN, and the kilograms of CO 2 that are saved as a result 1. Table 2 Car trips replaced and kilograms of CO 2 replaced annually by people using the NCN (as of 2013) Car trips replaced 29,566,994 Kgs CO 2 saved annually 30,357,619 Economic benefits to communities Job creation and maintenance Total investment in the NCN to date is 1.23 billion (including match funding). We estimate that this investment has resulted in 4,259 jobs being created and sustained by the NCN over the last 20 years, with 393 jobs created or sustained in financial year 2014/15, when 114 million was invested 2. This is calculated using data from Linking Communities schemes where we estimated that 6.9 FTE jobs were created and maintained for every 1 million invested 3. We assume that 50% of this value can be applied to expenditure across NCN. Retail benefits We estimate that people who used the NCN to access shopping areas in 2014 spent at least 1.27 billion, 29% more than they would have if they had travelled by car. Nearly 50% of all those interviewed in shopping areas at Connect2 schemes stated that they had used the new route to get there, while on the wider NCN over 87 million trips were for shopping purposes in 2014. Our research also suggests that overall monthly spend in retail areas by pedestrians and cyclists is at least 29% higher than those travelling by car ( 285/ 234 compared to 181) and they make double the number of trips to shops 4. In 2014 16.1% of pedestrian trips and 5.3% of cyclist trips on the NCN were for shopping purposes. Using trip frequency data, we are able to calculate that these shopping trips were made by over 900,000 people. Assuming that these shoppers spend 50% of the typical monthly spend identified above, we estimate that people who used the NCN to access shopping areas in 2014 spent at least 1.27 billion. Conclusion This report has identified some of the benefits of the National Cycle Network (NCN). It shows that the NCN brings positive economic benefits to the communities through which it runs while also benefitting the wider economy. Our research suggests that the money that has been spent on the NCN has provided a far higher benefit cost ratio than that spent on road schemes, which typically receive much more funding. 1 Note, these values differ to the figure given in the 2013 NCN report, as that figure only used people travelling by bike or foot. The figure used in this calculation is a rolling average of the survey results from 2011-2013. 2 S:\RMU\01 Analysis Team\30_Projects\NCN 20th Anniversary\3 Accumulating data\2 Economic benefit\2 Economic benefit to local communities\source material\money vs Length.xls 3 Sustrans (2014) Improving access for local journeys 4 Sustrans (2014) Connect2 final report (internal document) 6 DOE Climate Change Proposals Submitted by Anne Madden, Policy & Media Advisor, Sustrans January 2016