For the UK to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, swapping to cleaner versions of cars may not be enough.

According to MPs, we might need to switch from cars to other modes of transport for the government to meet its climate change targets.

But a survey found Britons are reluctant to give up being behind the wheel for the environment.

The Claim

Drivers will have to ditch their cars if the UK is to meet its climate change targets, a group of MPs warn.

The Science and Technology Select Committee has recommended 10 steps for the government to take to deliver net zero emissions by 2050.

The MPs say that swapping to cleaner versions of cars will not be enough to reduce emissions.

In a report, the committee writes: "In the long-term, widespread personal vehicle ownership therefore does not appear to be compatible with significant decarbonisation."

Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb, the chair of the committee, said that the government needs to "put its words into actions".

He said: "The government's own projections suggest that the UK is not currently on track to meet its current emission targets, let alone net zero by 2050.

"If governments across the world fail to act, it will have dire consequences for the environment and generations to come.

"The scale of the challenge cannot be underestimated."

Lamb adds that the government should listen to the committee's report and their "realistic, achievable recommendations on how to make the UK a world leader in cutting carbon emissions once again".

The Counterclaim

Most British drivers will not give up their cars, even for the environment, a survey found.

In fact, concern for the environment is the least popular reason to switch from a car to alternative modes of transport.

A survey, commissioned by transit data specialist, Ito World, found that two-fifths of British drivers (44 per cent) would refuse to give up their cars under any circumstances.

Only one in 20 said that helping the environment was a reason to ditch driving.

Improvements to public transport, in terms of accessibility and cost, received 18 per cent, while better cycle routes and improved car sharing options were both at five per cent.

The Facts

In 2008, MPs agreed that the UK should reduce its carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. This was made into law under the Climate Change Act.

This target was changed in June when Theresa May, just before leaving office, announced that the UK will be the first country to propose reducing its emissions to net zero by 2050.

The government also wants to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2040 in England and Wales - or 2032 in Scotland. By 2050, they will be banned from the roads entirely.

In 2018, transport was the most polluting UK sector, responsible for a third of carbon emissions (33 per cent), according to a report into greenhouse gas emissions by the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy. 

It was the most polluting sector two years previously when it was responsible for just over a quarter of emissions (26 per cent).

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The report found that 27 per cent of UK emissions came from the energy sector, 18 per cent from business, and 18 per cent from the residential sector.

The large majority of transport emissions are from vehicles on the road. There was, however, a 2.6 per cent fall in transport emissions from 2017, and a drop of 3.2 per cent from 1990.

Transport emissions reached a peak in 2007, when it was 8.5 per cent higher than 1990 levels. Since then, they have fallen back to around those levels - driven by new car fuel efficiency and lower traffic growth.