by Seamus og Gallagher, NI Environment Link

Road transport is the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in Northern Ireland, comprising 29.7% of our total 2004 emissions. What is most disappointing about this figure is that transport emissions in Northern Ireland have increased by 49.8% from 1990 to 2004 compared with a 9.1% rise for the rest of the UK. Unfortunately, all research suggests that transport emissions will continue to rise despite the technological advances in fuel types and the potential to make vehicles much more efficient. There is no doubt that government transport policy has reinforced Northern Ireland’s love affair with the car and that the provision of alternative transport modes could be much better than it is. However, there are still many ways in which you can take personal responsibility and reduce your transport emissions both at work and at home.

There are many reasons why you will want to travel, many places to go and many ways to get there. By asking yourself the following series of questions and following the travel hierarchy you can decide on the most sustainable option.

Is the journey necessary?
Can you achieve the same result without travelling? Can you achieve the same result without travelling? Can you schedule your journey so it can serve several purposes? New technologies can reduce the need to travel. For example, staff could be encouraged to work from home and still be contactable by phone and email. Teleconferencing and videoconferencing technology might be used to avoid the need for many business trips.

Could I walk or cycle?
Twenty-five per cent of all car journeys are less than two miles while 58% are less than five miles. Many of these journeys could be cycled or walked. Walking and cycling have zero emissions and are a great way to get regular exercise.

With help and advice from Travelwise NI, your workplace could develop a Travel Plan, which should help reduce the impact of work-generated travel on the environment and at the same time bring benefits from the organisation's staff.

If you have children, why not encourage their school to participate in the Sustrans - Safe Routes to School programme. The programme has the ultimate aim of creating a safe walking/cycling route to school for every child in the UK.

Is there public transport available?
Unfortunately, after years of under-investment, public transport is not what it should be in Northern Ireland. But things are getting better, with more recent investment in improved service and reliability on our trains and buses, so maybe it is time for you to give it another go. Increased use of public transport will help to reduce the number of cars on our streets, easing congestion and vehicle emissions (see the graph).

What about car sharing?
Combining journeys with another person, for example on the daily commute, will reduce costs, emissions, and vehicle wear and tear, as well as stress for all those taking part, and ultimately lessen congestion and pollution. You may be able to arrange car shares for your organisation's staff and you could also run a scheme for specific conferences you are organising by passing on agreed contact details for those who are interested in sharing.

Will my car/fuel/driving have an impact on my emissions?
The simple answer to all three questions is yes. The fuel economy and carbon emissions of cars varies considerably and, with European regulations requiring manufacturers to provide these details, you can base your purchasing decision around these criteria (see www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk): emissions below 120g/km carbon dioxide are good.

Alternative technologies and fuels are becoming available which could further reduce emissions. For example, hybrid cars achieve greater efficiency than most conventional cars and bio-diesel, made from recycled vegetable oil, is available in Northern Ireland. However, you should only buy from a reputable firm and check if using the fuel will affect the car's warranty. Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) can also be used in converted cars and produces approximately half as much carbon dioxide per km as conventional fuels.

No matter what car or what fuel you are using you should also ensure that you are maximising the car's efficiency. You should service the car regularly and ensure the tyres are properly inflated. For every 6psi the tyre is under-inflated the fuel consumption increases by 1%. Before you depart you should plan your route to avoid congestion hotspots and times and you should reduce the weight and drag of your car by removing unnecessary objects, roof racks, etc from the vehicle.

Your driving technique will also have a significant impact on your emissions. You should:

• Drive smoothly - changing gear between 1,500 and 2,500 rpm will save up to 30% of fuel.
• Slow down - driving at 70mph can use up to 30% more fuel than driving at 50mph.
• Avoid using the air conditioning - it uses 15% more fuel.
• Switch your engine off when in stationary traffic - you use more fuel with the engine idling for 45 seconds than if you switched off and restarted 45 seconds later.

Should I fly?
The Tyndall Centre predicts that aviation may contribute 50% of the total UK CO2 emissions in 2050. Furthermore, emissions per person per km from flying are higher than those from ferries, buses, trains and cars so in most instances flying should be the least favoured option. While there will be circumstances when there is no alternative to flying we must take collective and personal responsibility to limit these occasions and fly only when we need to.

Should I offset my emissions?
A carbon offset negates the release of one tonne of CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalent) by avoiding the release of, or removing from the atmosphere the same amount of CO₂e somewhere else. Carbon offsets do not, however, reduce emissions overall and therefore purchasing offsets should only be seen as a last resort after other measures to reduce or avoid emissions have been thoroughly explored and acted upon.

If/when you want to buy offsets for unavoidable emissions you should only purchase offsets from projects which have been certified by the Gold Standard – an independent, transparent, internationally recognised benchmark for ‘high quality’ carbon offset projects. The Gold Standard only certifies projects which meet the following criteria:

• they must be energy efficiency or renewable energy projects (forestry projects do not satisfy as the Gold Standard: although a forestry sink project may absorb carbon while it is living, a forest is never permanent and will one day succumb to disease, fire, or logging - releasing the carbon into the atmosphere once again. In addition buying forestry offsets does nothing to lessen society’s dependence on fossil fuels - something that is ultimately needed to address climate change.
• they must pass a sustainable development screen, ie there must be evidence that the project is making a real contribution to sustainable development and that it benefits the local community; and
• they must demonstrate that the project delivers real emission savings which would not have occurred under “business as usual”.

Examples of online retailers which sell offsets from projects which meet the Gold Standard criteria include Myclimate, Atmosfair and Climate Friendly. However, most organisations selling offsets should be able to provide Gold Standard credits if asked to do so.

by Seamus og Gallagher, NI Environment Link

Road transport is the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in Northern Ireland, comprising 29.7% of our total 2004 emissions. What is most disappointing about this figure is that transport emissions in Northern Ireland have increased by 49.8% from 1990 to 2004 compared with a 9.1% rise for the rest of the UK. Unfortunately, all research suggests that transport emissions will continue to rise despite the technological advances in fuel types and the potential to make vehicles much more efficient. There is no doubt that government transport policy has reinforced Northern Ireland’s love affair with the car and that the provision of alternative transport modes could be much better than it is. However, there are still many ways in which you can take personal responsibility and reduce your transport emissions both at work and at home.

There are many reasons why you will want to travel, many places to go and many ways to get there. By asking yourself the following series of questions and following the travel hierarchy you can decide on the most sustainable option.

Is the journey necessary?
Can you achieve the same result without travelling? Can you achieve the same result without travelling? Can you schedule your journey so it can serve several purposes? New technologies can reduce the need to travel. For example, staff could be encouraged to work from home and still be contactable by phone and email. Teleconferencing and videoconferencing technology might be used to avoid the need for many business trips.

Could I walk or cycle?
Twenty-five per cent of all car journeys are less than two miles while 58% are less than five miles. Many of these journeys could be cycled or walked. Walking and cycling have zero emissions and are a great way to get regular exercise.

With help and advice from Travelwise NI, your workplace could develop a Travel Plan, which should help reduce the impact of work-generated travel on the environment and at the same time bring benefits from the organisation's staff.

If you have children, why not encourage their school to participate in the Sustrans - Safe Routes to School programme. The programme has the ultimate aim of creating a safe walking/cycling route to school for every child in the UK.

Is there public transport available?
Unfortunately, after years of under-investment, public transport is not what it should be in Northern Ireland. But things are getting better, with more recent investment in improved service and reliability on our trains and buses, so maybe it is time for you to give it another go. Increased use of public transport will help to reduce the number of cars on our streets, easing congestion and vehicle emissions (see the graph).

What about car sharing?
Combining journeys with another person, for example on the daily commute, will reduce costs, emissions, and vehicle wear and tear, as well as stress for all those taking part, and ultimately lessen congestion and pollution. You may be able to arrange car shares for your organisation's staff and you could also run a scheme for specific conferences you are organising by passing on agreed contact details for those who are interested in sharing.

Will my car/fuel/driving have an impact on my emissions?
The simple answer to all three questions is yes. The fuel economy and carbon emissions of cars varies considerably and, with European regulations requiring manufacturers to provide these details, you can base your purchasing decision around these criteria (see www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk): emissions below 120g/km carbon dioxide are good.

Alternative technologies and fuels are becoming available which could further reduce emissions. For example, hybrid cars achieve greater efficiency than most conventional cars and bio-diesel, made from recycled vegetable oil, is available in Northern Ireland. However, you should only buy from a reputable firm and check if using the fuel will affect the car's warranty. Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) can also be used in converted cars and produces approximately half as much carbon dioxide per km as conventional fuels.

No matter what car or what fuel you are using you should also ensure that you are maximising the car's efficiency. You should service the car regularly and ensure the tyres are properly inflated. For every 6psi the tyre is under-inflated the fuel consumption increases by 1%. Before you depart you should plan your route to avoid congestion hotspots and times and you should reduce the weight and drag of your car by removing unnecessary objects, roof racks, etc from the vehicle.

Your driving technique will also have a significant impact on your emissions. You should:

• Drive smoothly - changing gear between 1,500 and 2,500 rpm will save up to 30% of fuel.
• Slow down - driving at 70mph can use up to 30% more fuel than driving at 50mph.
• Avoid using the air conditioning - it uses 15% more fuel.
• Switch your engine off when in stationary traffic - you use more fuel with the engine idling for 45 seconds than if you switched off and restarted 45 seconds later.

Should I fly?
The Tyndall Centre predicts that aviation may contribute 50% of the total UK CO2 emissions in 2050. Furthermore, emissions per person per km from flying are higher than those from ferries, buses, trains and cars so in most instances flying should be the least favoured option. While there will be circumstances when there is no alternative to flying we must take collective and personal responsibility to limit these occasions and fly only when we need to.

Should I offset my emissions?
A carbon offset negates the release of one tonne of CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalent) by avoiding the release of, or removing from the atmosphere the same amount of CO₂e somewhere else. Carbon offsets do not, however, reduce emissions overall and therefore purchasing offsets should only be seen as a last resort after other measures to reduce or avoid emissions have been thoroughly explored and acted upon.

If/when you want to buy offsets for unavoidable emissions you should only purchase offsets from projects which have been certified by the Gold Standard – an independent, transparent, internationally recognised benchmark for ‘high quality’ carbon offset projects. The Gold Standard only certifies projects which meet the following criteria:

• they must be energy efficiency or renewable energy projects (forestry projects do not satisfy as the Gold Standard: although a forestry sink project may absorb carbon while it is living, a forest is never permanent and will one day succumb to disease, fire, or logging - releasing the carbon into the atmosphere once again. In addition buying forestry offsets does nothing to lessen society’s dependence on fossil fuels - something that is ultimately needed to address climate change.
• they must pass a sustainable development screen, ie there must be evidence that the project is making a real contribution to sustainable development and that it benefits the local community; and
• they must demonstrate that the project delivers real emission savings which would not have occurred under “business as usual”.

Examples of online retailers which sell offsets from projects which meet the Gold Standard criteria include Myclimate, Atmosfair and Climate Friendly. However, most organisations selling offsets should be able to provide Gold Standard credits if asked to do so.