Fair competition: A route to climate-friendly travel choices

As the UK emerges from lockdown, people are looking forward to a much-needed holiday. Our report reveals how the UK public now approaches international travel with respect to climate change, in particular whether to travel without flying, which could cut emissions from the journey by around 90%. 

While people want to see urgent action on climate change, for many the perceived higher costs of train travel pose a serious barrier. The UK government subsidises air travel to the tune of £7bn per year making flights artificially cheap, while simultaneously failing to support climate-friendly alternatives such as international rail links. Aviation is currently responsible for 10% of the UK’s carbon emissions. In order for the UK to hit its world-leading climate goals, the government needs to switch its support towards affordable, low-carbon alternatives to plane travel - a move which this new research suggests would receive widespread support.

This report calls for a change in course in government policy, to remove the barriers to people being able to choose train travel to protect the climate. These include ending the tax breaks for aviation, and implementing a progresssive tax on flying such as a frequent flyer levy, with tax revenue ringfenced to invest in improving international rail connectivity.