Editorial

Citation

Leal Filho, W. (2011), "Editorial", International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Vol. 3 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijccsm.2011.41403baa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Volume 3, Issue 2

Welcome to a further issue of International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management. On this issue, readers will find a very interesting set of papers, some of which were produced in the context of Climate 2010, the third online climate change conference, organized by the International Climate Change Information Programme.

On this editorial, I would like to comment on a report recently published by the UK Department for Transport, which is complemented by an accompanying dataset. Titled Climate Change and Transport Choices (www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/scienceresearch/social/climatechangetransportchoices/), the survey sought to provide a nationally representative picture of public attitudes to climate change; transport and the motivators and barriers to more sustainable transport behaviours.

Overall, the survey found a wide variety of challenges to be addressed in order to enable and encourage more sustainable transport behaviour. These challenges varied for different groups of people and different types of locations. The findings suggested that people tend to travel by car out of habit, particularly if aged 40-69 or living in rural areas. Those living in rural areas tended to show particularly high levels of car travel, more positive attitudes about cars and less positive attitudes about alternative modes. Frequent (at least every 15 minutes) bus services were associated with regular bus travel; having a direct bus route between home and the workplace was a key motivator for regularly travelling to work by bus. Safety concerns“too much traffic” were a key barrier to cycling, with low cost, speed and health benefits being key motivators for those who cycled to work regularly. For many regular cyclists, three miles tended to be the maximum distance cycled. Only 14 per cent of those who could cycle did so regularly. Older age groups and women cycled less and tended to hold greater concerns about cycling. Lack of time, inconvenience, the weather and having to carry things emerged as key barriers to walking journeys of less than two miles.

It can be seen from the study that attempts to foster individual participation in reducing one’s own set of CO₂ emissions, need to be complemented in improvements in the available infrastructure, so that people feel motivate to be active and take part in the process.

Enjoy your reading!

Walter Leal Filho