Report calls for major re-think of UK's national infrastructure

A report from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) entitled Building a sustainable future says this requires a whole-life approach to carbon assessment, not solely assessing the carbon used in construction but balancing this with the carbon used during the operational lifespan as well.

In the case of the roads network this would mean considering the carbon emitted by vehicles using the road over its lifetime and finding ways to drive it down through innovative design choices.

Figures from 2009 show that 22 per cent of the UK’s total emissions came from transport with 62 per cent of that figure coming from passenger cars.

Looking forward, the population in parts of England is expected to grow by 20 per cent in the next 20 years and the Department for Transport estimates that by 2035 road use will have increased by between 40 and 50 per cent compared to 2003.