Decarbonisation plans under the spotlight at Smart Transport Conference

Lord Deben, chairman of the Climate Change Committee (CCC) and former secretary of state for the environment, will look at whether the Government is taking action quickly enough to meet its climate commitments at next week's Smart Transport Conference.

It is now just five days until the show on November 30 at etc.venues County Hall, London, where key stakeholders from the private and public sector will gather to reflect on the recent COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.

Lord Deben’s presentation is part of a special plenary session that forms just a small part of what is a packed conference with 30 industry expert speakers.

Lord Deben (pictured) said: “Ministers have made the big decisions – to decarbonise the power sector by 2035, to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles, to back heat pumps for homes.

“And they have proposed policies to do it. I applaud their ambition. 

“Now they must deliver these goals and fill in the remaining gaps in funding and implementation.

“My Committee will hold their feet to the fire, as we are required to under the Climate Change Act. This is the UK’s climate governance working as it should.”

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High profile plenary speakers confirmed

• Trudy Harrison MP, parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Transport (DfT), will reveal the next steps to net zero.
• Polly Billington, director, UK100 on what COP26 will do for transport in UK cities.
• Dr Nik Johnson, mayor, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority on how the combined authority’s new transport plan will prioritise ‘left behind’ communities, tackle inequalities and accelerate carbon reduction.
• Louise Mothersole, Horizon Europe UK national contact point for mobility and global innovation lead for transport, Innovate UK on what transport might look like in 2050.
• Phil Goodwin, Emeritus Professor of Transport Policy at UCL and the University of the West of England, and a Senior Fellow of the Foundation for Integrated Transport, will consider the cost of not achieving net zero.

There will also be eight breakout session on key industry topics with representatives from the Department for Transport, combined authorities and senior leaders from the private sector discussing challenges and solutions.

The topics are:

• Decarbonising freight and logistics: solutions for today and tomorrow
• Funding requirements for a viable local transport plan
• E-scooters: a micromobility solution?
• Building a fit for purpose charging infrastructure
• Travel planning for changing commuting, business and leisure habits
• Technology and innovation
• Winning public hearts and minds for low carbon urban travel choices
• The evolution of vehicles and roads as a zero-emission solution

Full conference agenda.

Speaker and chair line-up to date.

Smart Transport would like to thank its headline strategic partners for their support with this event including ABB, CNG Fuels, Daf Trucks, Enterprise, FedEx Express, Geotab, Ginger, Liberty Global, Macquarie, Padam Mobility, Renault and Worldline.