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Walk and Cycle
Climate Impact:
What you can do
Walk or cycle, as part of your routine, in place of public transport or motorised private transport.
This could mean cycling to school or parking a little further from work and walking the rest of the way.
Who's doing it?
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Climate impact
Cycling and walking are completely carbon neutral. With transport making up around 30% of our individual emissions, choosing to walk or cycle instead of drive is a simple, impactful way to take action on climate change.
Whilst it's not always practical to cycle or walk, if you can swap half that average UK commute from driving to walking or cycling, you can reduce your annual CO2 emissions by 0.5 tonnes - the same amount as is absorbed by around 33 trees. See impact calculations.
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Additional benefits
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Improved health and fitness
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Significantly cheaper than motorised transport
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More time spent outdoors
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Reduced air pollution
Challenges
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Not always practical to avoid using motorised transport
Resources
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Save money with the Cycle to Work scheme (UK)
Tips
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Try parking a just half a mile from work and walking the rest of the way. This reduces emissions and is great for your health and well-being. (Sarah, UK)
Facts and further information
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In 2014 in the UK, 42% of people agreed with the statement: ‘Many of the journeys of less than 2 miles that I now make by car I could just as easily walk’ [1].
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Making short journeys by car is particularly polluting as the catalytic converters that reduce these pollutants don't work effectively on trips under 5 miles [1].
Chat to the Walking & Cycling group
Impact assessment
Car travel (only passenger) emissions per km [2]= 171g CO2e
Emission from 10 miles of car travel (171x16.1) = 2.75kg CO2e
Domestic rail travel emissions per passenger per km [2]= 41g CO2e
Emission from 10 miles of train travel (41x16.1) = 0.66kg CO2e
Daily difference in emissions when switching 10 miles of car travel with train travel (2.75-0.66) = 2.09 kgCO2e
Number of working days in a year = c. 250
Annual emissions saving from switching 10 miles of car travel with train travel (250x2.09) = 522.5 kgCO2e = 0.5 tonnes CO2e
References
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ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/articles/fivefactsaboutcars/2016-09-22