Net-Zero Research Forum: Driving down transport emissions

Priestley Centre/CREDS (Centre for Research on Energy Demand Solutions) joint seminar

How can research help the transport sector reduce its emissions to net-zero?

This event is the fourth in a series of Net-Zero Research Forums – informal webinars to discuss research and innovation ideas focused on achieving net-zero emissions. Researchers from different disciplines present ideas and provocative questions to stimulate debate and creativity. All are welcome to collaborate on this pressing global challenge.

This webinar, ‘Driving down transport emissions’, will feature two short presentations by:

• Professor Jillian Anable, Chair in Transport and Energy in the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds
• Professor Greg Marsden, Professor of Transport Governance in the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds

Dr James Tate, Associate Professor in the Institute for Transport Studies and School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds, will give an introduction to the event.

Professor Jillian Anable will present a talk titled: ‘A crisis squared is a crisis halved? Learning from travel adaptations during COVID-19 to inform net-zero carbon pathways for transport.’

This talk will draw upon very early analysis of the first wave of a “COVID-19 Transport, Travel and Social Adaptation” study and use the insights from this, and other data over the past few months, to reflect on what this means for demand side interventions to reduce carbon from passenger transport.

These reflections will draw upon work undertaken Professor Anable with Professor John Barrett and other colleagues within the Centre for Research on Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS) to develop Low Energy Demand Scenarios and radically explore the contribution that energy efficiency and demand reduction can make towards a net-zero society.

Professor Greg Marsden will present a talk titled: ‘Researching climate governance in a time of crisis – the case of transport’

In this talk Professor Marsden will review how the COVID-19 pandemic is fundamentally altering the practicalities, finances, assumptions and politics in the transport sector.

The lockdown unfolded weeks before a new project on accelerating the decarbonisation of transport was due to start. As well as discussing some of the key climate and transport governance questions the situation throws out, Professor Marsden will also reflect on how they plan to recast the grant in such a changed context for the research.

Staff and students are also invited to join the Microsoft Team – Net-Zero Research Forum by following the link or using the join code 2zzzfir.

This event is part of the University’s Interdisciplinary Research Development Programme.