07 Feb 07

The government's recent doubling of Air Passenger Duty on UK flights is unlikely to curb the growth in greenhouse gas emissions from travel, according to a study by researchers at Oxford University's Centre for the Environment. The study found that high-income groups, whose emissions are twice the national average, would absorb any price increase rather than change their travel habits.

The research, funded by the Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC), found that the climate change impact of an individual's annual travel was, on average, equivalent to 5.25 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Although a large proportion of the population is responsible for roughly the same amount of emissions, a few people are responsible for a disproportionately large share of the total. Researchers found that 61 per cent of all travel emissions came from individuals in the top 20 per cent of 'emitters', while only one per cent of emissions came from those in the bottom 20 per cent.

The high emitters group is mostly made up of employed individuals earning over £30,000 per year. Across the board, people in high-income groups have an average climate change impact of 11.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide - twice the national average. The research, based on a survey of almost 500 people in Oxfordshire, found that air travel accounted for 70 per cent of climate change impacts from personal travel, while car driving was the second largest cause at 25 per cent.

Project researcher Dr Christian Brand, from Oxford's Transport Studies Unit, said: 'We found huge variations in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that individuals' travel patterns are responsible for. Measures and policies that target the highest users are more likely to influence people's travel behaviour and reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the short term.'

The study 'Integrated travel emissions profiles' was carried out by Professor John Preston, Dr Brenda Boardman and Dr Christian Brand and was based at the University's Centre for the Environment.