It's well known that vehicle emissions add to the pollution levels of busy towns and cities. It's not as widely known that they also contribute to global climate change.

In fact, in the UK, transport emissions are responsible for around 25% of our total output of carbon dioxide (CO2) - one of the major contributors to global warming. And what's more, in just 6,000 miles a car will produce roughly its own weight in CO2.

Two of the worst pollutants derived from vehicle emissions are nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10).

Not only does their presence in the atmosphere result in poor air quality and smog, they can also lead to breathing problems and cardiovascular disease - recent Government health studies suggest that up to 24,000 people per year die early in Britain as a result of poor air quality.

That's why, in 1996, the Energy Saving Trust set up TransportAction as a way of delivering innovative solutions, programmes and information, campaigning to reduce the damaging effects of transport on the environment and seeking to promote sustainable mobility.

What exactly does TransportAction do?

TransportAction works towards developing practical solutions to environmental problems caused by transport and is rapidly becoming an authority on the ways in which pollution from road transport can be reduced.

TransportAction is also the umbrella brand for the Energy Saving Trust's environmental transport programmes: PowerShift and CleanUp.

It is through these programmes that TransportAction distributes its grants to help with the cost of reducing transport pollution. These grants are designed to help businesses, from one-man bands to large fleet operators, to do their bit' to improve air quality.

TransportAction PowerShift

The PowerShift programme was set up with the aim of creating a sustainable market in the UK for new small vehicles (cars and small vans) which run on clean fuels such as LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), natural gas and electricity.

Thanks to the low fuel duty on these three fuels, they are considerably cheaper to buy than petrol. They also significantly reduce the emission of harmful pollutants.

In order to kick-start the market for vehicles running on these fuels, TransportAction PowerShift awards grants of up to 65% of the cost of converting a vehicle to run on a clean fuel. However, it is important to note that not all vehicles are eligible for grants:

Vehicles must be new or under one year old.

Vehicles must be listed on the PowerShift Register - a list of all the vehicles suitable to run on clean fuels which can be viewed on the TransportAction web-site.

TransportAction PowerShift's pledge for York

TransportAction PowerShift pledges to provide grants for 100 clean fuel vehicles adapted in the York area

TransportAction CleanUp

The CleanUp programme focuses on reducing the emissions of larger vehicles such as lorries, buses and refuse trucks either by converting their engines to run on LNG (liquefied natural gas) or by fitting particulate traps to the exhausts of diesel vehicles to.

TransportAction CleanUp awards grants of up to 75% of the capital costs of fitting emissions reductions equipment.

In addition to this financial support, the programme also offers help and advice on how to reduce emissions output cost effectively, and information on the effectiveness of a range of emissions reduction equipment.

TransportAction CleanUp's pledge for York

TransportAction CleanUp pledges to provide grants to help clean up' 100 local vehicles To find out how TransportAction can help you make a difference too, visit the web-site at: www.transportaction.org.uk.

To find out if you're eligible for one of the TransportAction grants, call the grant hotline on: 0845 602 1425.