Abstract

Personal transport, for business, leisure, or just the demands of everyday life, represents a material part of the overall UK climate problem. Unlike other segments of our energy use, it is dominated by a single fuel source, oil. Can we envision as scenario, or more than one possible scenario, where emissions from transport are reduced by 80% by 2050? How much of this will come from mitigating the emissions by new technologies or modal shifts, and how much by adapting our personal lifestyles to a carbon constrained world? This talk will suggest policy approaches to the transport problem, explore the role that technology can play, and emphasise that unless we think systemically, any actions we take have just as big a chance of making the problem worse as they do of making it better.

Dr Bernard J. Bulkin

Bernie Bulkin is a leading voice on issues related to energy and environment. His activities span business, government advisory, and educational roles. He is Chairman of AEA Technology plc, a leading environmental consultancy, Chairman of Swedish company Chemrec AB, and a board member of Severn Trent plc, Ze-gen Corporation, and Accelergy Corporation. He is Venture Partner with the California firm Vantage Point, associated with their Clean Tech practice. Bernie is Commissioner for Energy and Transport at the UK Sustainable Development Commission, and a member of the UK Government’s Energy Board. He is a Professorial Fellow of Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge, and serves on numerous charitable boards. He is the author of more than 100 papers and two books. Dr Bulkin was formerly Chief Scientist of BP.