Will Wokingham COP out of change?

WILL Wokingham ‘COP’ out? What to make of COP26? Are you with the activists and scientists (it’s too little and too slow), or with the politicians (it’s all that was possible and hope for better in the future)?

Whatever your view, with global temperatures rising and scientists saying our future depends on slowing and stopping this, you’re probably thinking about what you can do to help?

Climate change is cumulative, and reductions in emissions now are worth more than those in the future.

Most of COP26’s agreements are longer term but there is one thing almost all of us can do which will make a difference now, and that’s to change the way we travel.

Transport is the UK’s largest source of CO2 emissions.

In Wokingham, road transport alone produces 30% of emissions, and that doesn’t include traffic on the M4 or emissions from manufacturing cars and their fuel.

Electric vehicles will help, but we cannot replace all cars in the short term, and even if we could the result would be a net increase in emissions from the manufacturing involved.

There are only two ways to reduce transport emissions in the short term: travel less or use an existing mode of travel that emits less.

Over one third of car miles are trips of under two miles, and nearly two thirds are under five miles. Walking or cycling some of these will cut emissions immediately.

Many of us took to this happily during lockdown, but with traffic back to normal have reverted to the comfort and protection of our cars.

Long term improvements to our roads for a sustainable future are planned, but will take years to deliver.

To enable a step change now, we need to look at how we allocate and use existing road space, set speed limits to accommodate vulnerable road users and make other short-term changes to shift the balance of attractiveness between sustainable and unsustainable travel.

Realpolitik may limit what our leaders can do on a global scale, but across the UK towns and cities are already making bold decisions to change how we travel.

Does Wokingham have the will to do the same?