Emily Kerr - Share Our Cars Share Our Cars
Most people agree that Climate Change
means they should probably use their car a bit less. But what people systematically underestimate is quite how large the effect of owning and driving a car is. The average guess is that owning a car emits the equivalent carbon per year of about 2-4 flights to Rome. The actual answer is 20. And at least 25% of your car’s lifetime emissions were generated before it left the factory, so if you own a car and don’t use it much it is still terrible for the environment.
recent article in Nature showed that people systematically underestimate the costs of car ownership by more than 50%; in fact the average cost in the UK of owning a car is more than £300 per month, or closer to £450 per month for leased models. So private car ownership is expensive and bad for the environment, but what are the alternatives? Well, that’s where car-sharing comes in. There are many businesses trying to help people move away from private car ownership. Companies such as
Liftshare work with large employers using data mapping to suggest employees who can ride-share together to work. Car-sharing platforms such as UK’s Hiyacar (‘airbnb for cars’) and the US’s Turo allow people to make money from their cars, managing all the bookings and insurance via an easyto-use app. Car clubs like Co-wheels, Zipcar, and Enterprise allow people to easily book and borrow cars from specific locations. And of course Taxi firms are also a really important part of the solution, especially those running modern and well-used fleets.
Back in 2019, the Science Select Committee told MPs that ‘widespread personal vehicle ownership does not appear to be compatible with significant decarbonisation’. And yet few leaders are politically brave enough to openly repeat this obvious fact – we need fewer cars, not just newer cars. Cars are also expensive – a
Bristolienses - Issue 62
16
