How to Accelerate the Transition to Net Zero in Transportation
- The role of transport in the carbon emissions conversation came to the fore at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland.
- Stakeholders have collectively committed to achieving 100% zero emissions in transport by 2040.
- The biggest obstacle remains the transition from words to action.
The role of transport was at the heart of COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. Leaders of nations, cities, international organizations, NGOs – and especially the private sector – have focused on the role of transport as one of three critical sources of carbon emissions as well as the only sector whose greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint continues to grow. In 2020, the global transport industry was responsible for approximately 7.3 billion metric tons carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Countries, companies, automakers and other stakeholders have signed a declaration commitments (aligned with the Paris Agreement) from the automotive industry, governments, cities, fleet owners and other stakeholders to achieve 100% zero emissions in transport by 2040.
The statement, with its distinguished signatories, marks both a promising inflection point for the automotive and mobility industries; he also talks about the urgency of drastically reducing the carbon emissions (CO2) produced by this sector. Passenger cars cause 41% of global transport of CO2 emissions with medium and heavy trucks like secondary source (22%).
While the declaration is certainly a step in the right direction, the world will have to wait and see if the needed change will actually happen and if those who obviously did not commit will take action. There is, so often, a formidable gap between words and deeds, and stakeholders at COP26 were no doubt aware of the challenges of this global goal of net zero emissions in transport.
What will it take to accelerate the transition?
The responses to this question at COP26 were resounding.
Here are some clear ways.
1. Advance solutions for cities facing the worst transport-related pollution.
Naveen Munjal, Managing Director, Hero Electric
India has a crucial role to play in a net zero future. Twenty-two of the 30 most polluted cities in the world are in India, and one of the ways to improve the situation is through the transport sector. … Electric two-wheeled transport will lay – lay – the groundwork for the conversion to net zero transport in India.
2. Start with the most critical energy source.
Kristen Siemen, Vice President of Sustainable Workplaces and Chief Sustainability Officer, GM
Our new battery technology allows us to increase vehicle range and reduce the amount of valuable materials needed in production, moving us towards an all-electric, carbon-neutral future.
Anders Karrberg, Head of Global Sustainability and Strategy, Volvo
Industry and government need to work together to find renewable energy sources and set an end date for conventional fuel engines so industry knows that those days are over.
3. Build our cities around carbon-free design.
Liane Randolph, Chair, California Air Resources Board
The future of transportation is zero. That doesn’t just mean zero-emission vehicles, it also means zero-emission public transit, and it also means getting around in new ways. This means taking bicycles. It means walking. It means building community infrastructure that allows people to move without carbon.
4. Maximize efficiency with thoughtful partnerships.
Sarwant Singh, CEO of OHM Global Mobility
It’s not just about zero-carbon vehicles, to me it’s about net-zero businesses, and to achieve net-zero businesses, we need to bring all players in the ecosystem together. So the mobility [sector] has to work with digital solutions, it has to work with energy companies, and we have to provide the funding [sector] together to enable absolutely zero-carbon mobility in the future.
Avinash Rugoobur, President, ARRIVAL
We invest in technologies and platforms to create truly equitable and sustainable mobility ecosystems like our electric buses, vans and cars which are built in local micro-factories that can be placed anywhere in the world, built by the community for the community.
5. Prioritize electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Clive Selly, CEO of Openreach
The biggest obstacle to accelerating our journey to net zero transportation is the availability of public charging infrastructure. My plea, the industry [and] government together can we please collaborate to get ubiquitous public charging infrastructure deployed across the UK so that I can accelerate my journey to net zero transport and others can do the same.
Basil Seggos, Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State
In our goal to be net zero by 2050, we have a $700 million commitment, called EV Make Ready, to prepare the state’s charging infrastructure for the electric vehicle economy. … to facilitate the purchase of electric vehicles, then to pass on these advantages to the public.
6. Focus on scale, like bus fleets, which are some of the worst CO2 emitters.
Isbrand Ho, senior manager of BYD
We don’t just make statements, we act. For example, in Shenzhen, we converted all 17,000 buses to electricity. Cities in Chile and Colombia are doing the same.
Sarwant Singh, CEO, OHM Global Mobility
By working with digital solutions, mobility companies and the financial sector, we could achieve our goal of having 100% electric buses by 2030.
