Time zone 15 October:  9.30am-11:00am Eastern Standard Time (EST)/ 9.30pm-11:00pm China Standard Time (CST) 

Watch the Recording

In order to meet UN Paris Agreement targets, transport CO₂ emissions would need to be reduced by 70 to 80% by 2050 compared to 2015 levels. Within transport, global road transportation accounts for three-quarters of transport emissions. An increasing number of High Income Countries are pushing for domestic ‘net zero’ targets; it is envisaged that a rapid increase in the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) will significantly reduce carbon emissions. In terms of EV uptake, and as expected, it has been largest in countries in the Global North and in China and India (e-buses, electric 2/3W). However, the drive to electromobility does not work for all, and for some countries (often the poorest) there is an inability to transition and they could be left behind.

The objective of the event is to engage and consult with countries in the Global South on the draft discussion paper produced by the Sustainable Mobility for All partnership for COP26 : Electromobility in the Global South: An Equitable Transition toward Road Passenger Transport Decarbonization.

This side event will help to draw more attention to the role of electric vehicles in Lower and Middle Income Countries and discuss opportunities and risks for a transition to EV in the Global South. The objective of the side event would be to identify key policy actions to enhance electric mobility in the global south, enabling better and safer access for all. With most of the discourse on electromobility focusing on the global north, this debate is seen as an important contribution to the 2^nd Conference on Sustainable Transport to ensure the perspective and voice of the global south in the scaling of electric vehicles.

This event will be based on a combination of a short presentation and a panel discussion with one moderator and up to 5 panelists. The panel discussion is preferred for communication as it is an effective discussion format for discussing in-depth topics such as transport decarbonization in the Global South.

Target Audience

The side event is open to public policy makers, transport and energy experts, researchers, and the wider public and private sector stakeholders interested in or implementing action toward sustainable mobility especially from the Global South. 

Moderator: 

Maruxa Cardama, Secretary-General, Partnership on Sustainable, Low-Carbon Transport (SLoCaT) 

Confirmed Speakers: 

Nancy Vandycke, Manager, SuM4All Program, World Bank 

Mark Howells, Principal Research Fellow, Imperial College and Professor, Loughborough University 

Panel Discussants: 

Alex Rugamba, Independent Consultant and Transport Expert 

Jamie Leather, Chief of Transport, Asian Development Bank (ADB)  

Ki-Joon Kim, Independent Consultant and Transport Expert  

Nicolas Beaumont, Senior Vice-President Sustainable Development and Mobility, Michelin