Concerns among transport companies about the impact of climate change on their operations has plummeted with more than half of businesses in the sector saying they are not worried, official figures show.
Just 3.9% of transport and storage firms said they were very concerned about environmental issues, down from 21.7% in 2022.
A huge 50.9% said they were not concerned at all, more than double the number who responded similarly to the question in September 2022 (23.3%)
The government’s ONS survey also found that while support for climate change policies appeared to be wavering, a focus on AI was increasing – with many haulage firms now making attempts to catch up with other industries.
It found 28.6% of transport and storage companies had not yet attempted to adopt the advanced technology, a significant reduction from the 43.1% that responded similarly in October 2023.
ParcelHero pointed out that when the sector was asked in March 2024 whether it was currently using AI, 91.3% of businesses said they were not.
This has now fallen to 82.1%.
David Jinks, head of consumer research at ParcelHero, said the switch of focus away from environmental issues could mirror Trump 2.0-era priorities:
“The US has seen a backlash against climate targets and an increased focus on tech spending and it’s a change that seems to be echoed globally,” he said.
“At the other end of the spectrum, AI initiatives are booming and transport and storage businesses are scrabbling to catch up with other sectors.
“Of course, all industries have their fads. Investment in tech and supply chains soared before the dot.com bubble burst in 1995, which sent new tech spending tumbling.
“Similarly, green initiatives blossomed in the early noughties until the 2008 financial crisis, when many firms shelved their plans while they focused on survival.
“Crucially, the state of the global economy and race to adopt AI shouldn’t mean the end of green investment,” Jinks added.
“Many green initiatives, such as recycling and switching to renewable energy, can also significantly reduce costs for all industry sectors, including transport and storage.
“It shouldn’t be an either/or situation.”
