Environment

There is no getting away from it: the invention of the car has been one of the greatest benefits of modern life, but – and this is a life-threatening but – cars are a major cause of global warming. And global warming could, if left unchecked, wipe out our civilisation. It gets worse. The government has tried to reduce the impact that CO2 has on the environment but it is not succeeding. Why? Because it is going about it the wrong way. Not only that, but environmentalists are doing the same thing – placing an undue emphasis on emissions produced by road transport.

Unfortunately, Britain currently implements a system of taxation that smacks of double standards. In his report, Stern suggests a value of £50 per ton be placed on emissions of CO2; motorists effectively pay a tax of almost £140 per ton, whilst industry pays a little over £9 per ton.

If we are serious about tackling climate change, taxes on the emissions from transport must be applied fairly and across the board. It is hardly surprising that motorists feel put upon. Currently the fuel for trains is subsidised; diesel Voyager trains on cross-country routes produce 112g of CO2 per passenger kilometre – more than some small cars.

This is not to say that drivers can abdicate their responsibilities. The ETA has for many years supported the concept of national road pricing – an idea that is being allowed to fester. Transport secretary, Ruth Kelly recently announced a further four years of funding for local road pricing pilot schemes, but made no mention of a national scheme, talk of which last year prompted 1.8 million people to sign an online Downing Street petition opposing any such plan. At the time, the government was not brave enough to address public concerns about privacy, even though road pricing technology need be no different from that currently used by SatNav systems. Our leaders may blame technological considerations for the delay in road pricing, but it is politics that rob us of a system that would be cheaper for most people, fairer and more efficient.

What can people and businesses do in the meantime? When the ETA was formed in 1990, it set out to be more than a car breakdown service. We wanted to help our members whenever they had a question or decision to make regarding transport and the environment. It quickly became clear that people wanted active and direct help. That is why we launched Greet Transport Week in 1992. Our aim was to involve millions of people in activities aimed at highlighting our transport impact on the environment and how we can reduce it. By 1996, over three million people took part – now it is a worldwide event. It is only one of a number of ways we campaign for sustainable transport.

The lesson of this success is that a contribution towards a better environment can be made by us all – not least by commercial enterprises. Our own corporate range from small companies operating two or three vehicles right up to larger outfits with fleets comprising hundreds of vehicles. What they have in common is a desire to take a completely painless step towards making their businesses more environmentally sustainable. As much as anyone else, business customers are exacting in the service they expect and for this reason over the years our range of ethical and carbon-neutral motoring products has kept one step ahead of the competition. There are changes to the tax regime in terms of the capital allowance treatment of business cars which will increase incentives for businesses to purchase lower carbon cars - the time has never been better for business to join the drive for greener motoring.