Urgent call for zero-emission vehicles as part of Climate Mitigation strategy

Ministers and senior representatives from the industry, civil society and international organizations have called for a swift move to zero-emission vehicles as a key component of a future global climate change strategy.

Currently, the transport sector is almost completely dependent on fossil fuels. It contributes approximately one quarter of all energy related carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere, which is set to grow to one-third, faster than any other sector.

Leading by example, some countries have put in place policies to support the use of electric vehicles.

For example, through a comprehensive set of fiscal and non-fiscal measures, one out of four cars sold in Norway today is electric, while in China a national 2&3 wheelers strategy that started ten years ago has now resulted in electric two and three wheelers having all but replaced petrol motorbikes in its major cities – with 230 million electric bikes in use to date. Such practices need to be scaled up and replicated around the world to achieve the desired impact.

The event found that while the world will still rely on fossil fuels for transportation needs for some time, the time is now to start a global shift to zero emissions vehicles. The event showed that zero emissions vehicles are successfully being introduced in different market segments – electric 2 wheelers, private cars, and city busses.

 

“Electric vehicles can drive us into a cleaner, more sustainable energy future. The IEA has shown that if global warming is to be limited to 2 degrees, at least a fifth of all vehicles on roads by 2030 should be electric,” said Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency.

The event called for a global approach to the introduction of zero emissions vehicles, to ensure maximum climate and air quality benefits. Organisations present at the event promised to work together to develop such a coordinated global approach.

Experts also recognized that zero emissions vehicles need to be seen as part of a wider move towards a cleaner transport sector that includes better city planning, public transport and non-motorized transport.

A recent report of the World Health Organization estimates that annually 7 million people die prematurely because of air pollution, about half from outdoor air pollution.

Ms. Ligia Noronha, Director of the Division of Technology, Industry and Economics of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said "The time has come for a global push towards zero-emission vehicles. The continued use of fossil fuels for vehicles is costing too much - in terms of climate, air pollution and economies. To get the necessary benefits we need to ensure this will indeed be a global shift - in all regions and countries”.

Keep your eyes on climate mitigation ambition – Africa charged

Inadequate climate mitigation ambition will have untold consequences, especially to Africa’s peoples, as the world heads to Paris in December for a climate deal agreement.

According to Dr. Fatima Denton, Special Initiatives Division, UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), increasing global warming will raise the costs of both adaptation and mitigation due to Africa’s constrained adaptive capacity.

“Avoiding dangerous atmospheric interference requires a temperature goal that is commensurate with current levels of emissions; but it also means that we have to go beyond business-as-usual emissions,” she said.

She was speaking on “Africa, Climate Change and Sustainable Development: What Is At Stake At Paris and Beyond?” as theme for the 5^th Climate Change and Development Conference in Africa (CCDA-V), holding in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 28-30 October, 2015.

The objective is to support the African preparatory process towards global negotiations of the 21^st Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Convention Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The immediate effects of climate change in Africa are being experienced primarily in terms of human security as a result of threats to food and water supplies.

“Fighting poverty and achieving sustainable development remains our chief thrust and focus,” said Vice President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

He says COP21 presents a unique chance for Africa to assert itself in the global climate governance and influence the outcomes of Paris towards aligning with the continent’s long term sustainable development agenda.

The ultimate objective of the UNFCCC, according to Article 2, is the “stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.”

Dr. Denton has therefore emphasized that it will not be in the interest of Africa to relegate Article 2 to the background in the quest for food security and sustainable development.

“We must take to Paris a new resolve of using our numbers, our collective voice, our agency and our strength in demanding a fair, just and binding treaty abetted by a means of implementation that will align our commitments to our development priorities, including those Intended Nationally Determined Contributions that will support our ambitions towards energy efficiency and agricultural transformation and demand financial commitments,” she stated.

A solutions stock taking has been initiated as part of the CCDA-V.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh / in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe