Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet

by Hannah Ritchie

But there is one thing that will trump EVs in our efforts to drive down our transport emissions, and that’s not having a car at all. I live in London, where having one would be more hassle than it’s worth. I can hop on the Underground and cross the city much faster than the queued cars, emitting very little carbon in the process. The rest of my family can’t do this: they live in a small town where the public transport is not great. It’s even harder for my extended family who live in a tiny village in the countryside, where the nearest shop is miles away. People often picture eco-friendly living as rural. Living on your farm in the countryside is the green thing to do. Living in the packed energy-guzzling city is what’s wrecking the planet. In reality, it’s the opposite. There are clear environmental benefits to cities: we can build efficient, connected networks for travel.39 When we look at the travel emissions across towns and cities we find a clear pattern: people in denser cities emit less.40 Part of bringing down our transport emissions will involve rethinking our living spaces. Many European cities are making good progress here. Cars no longer take centre stage, pedestrians and cyclists do. Cities not only become calmer, less polluted places to live, they also function much more efficiently. There’s nothing less efficient than having roads filled with cars bumper-to-bumper. A well-designed combination of cycle lanes, pedestrian walkways and high-speed public transport...