COP26: Still much more to do
Stepping off the train in Glasgow, it is impossible to avoid the array of contradictions that is a UN climate summit. The brightly-clad protesters and the smart-suited politicians and business leaders hurrying back and forth, the billboards that alternate corporate sustainability boasts and NGOs’ vibrant calls to action, the crackle and fizz of energy and activity and the immense weight of the responsibility that rests on delegates at COP26. It is one minute to midnight and hanging over the heads of everyone who arrives for the conference, the giant clock in Glasgow Central Station is lit up green, a reminder that time is not on our side.
At New AutoMotive we know that a rapid transition to electric cars is a no-brainer. That is why we want countries to call time on sales of petrol and diesel cars, and delegates arriving at COP have been met with our billboards urging them to ‘take charge!’ and choose cleaner transport. There is no other source of emissions that is as big and as easily solvable as cars. Cars are 15% of UK emissions, and there is a clean, practical alternative technology that is ready to go.
In Glasgow I found a range of attitudes towards electric cars - some genuine concerns but one or two misconceptions, too. Overall I was struck by how the vast majority have come to see this transition as inevitable. You can see why: the share price of any car company that flirts with electric cars spikes; investors know which way the wind is blowing.
In November last year, the UK government brought forward the date after which it will no longer be possible to buy petrol and diesel cars, from 2040 to 2030. Other countries have made similar commitments - we’ve been tracking them here. These commitments are important so that businesses and investors can allocate capital, shift production lines and so that infrastructure providers can plan with certainty about the future.
Today, 33 countries have signed a declaration pledging to phase-out sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2040, and in 2035 in leading markets. While some big players are missing - Germany, China and much of the US - and it’s disappointing that car companies like VW refused to sign, this is a significant step forward in the road to fully electrified road transport. India’s decision to sign this declaration is huge in itself.
Today’s declaration signifies big progress in the right direction, but there is much more still to do. There is nothing preventing countries from making additional pledges to end sales of petrol and diesel cars - Joe Biden has an opportunity to get Congressional agreement for an ICE phase-out date in the US. Doing so would go a long way towards putting their economies ahead of what is now an unstoppable global move towards zero emissions transport and electric cars in particular, securing jobs and investment in future-proofed industries, giving people access to better and cheaper personal transport, and reducing air pollution. There are few better climate-friendly acts of enlightened self interest out there.
Note: We have curated the latest data on COP26 phase-out pledges, which can be found here. The raw data can be found here.
