COP 26 : Rebalancing the Electromobility Debate

To meet the UN Paris Climate Agreement targets, transport CO2 emissions will need to be reduced by between 70% to 80% by 2050 compared to 2015 levels. Within transport, global road transportation accounts for over three-quarters of transport emissions. An increasing number of High-Income Countries are pushing for domestic ‘net zero’ targets, with electric vehicles (EV) as the principal mechanism to decarbonize the transport sector.  

This narrative, largely promoted by countries in the Global North, portrays the electrification of transportation as an opportunity waiting to be seized by ALL countries.  But is this model adequate for ALL countries, or only a few? Are the poorest countries in the world currently able to transition to electromobility or will they be left behind? If the uptake of EVs is massive in high-income countries, what are the implications and spillovers on the poorest countries―in terms of natural resources extraction, fossil fuels exports, or country indebtedness, for example?  These questions need addressing urgently in the context of a Green Divide emerging between high-income countries and the least developed countries―in terms of both responsibility for climate change, and the response to it.   

This event will release a new discussion paper, “Electromobility in the Global South: An Equitable Transition toward Road Passenger Transport Decarbonization.” This paper unpacks these questions, raising issues for dialogue from the perspective of the poorest countries in the world, with the intent of rebalancing the electromobility debate with the issues faced by the Lower and Middle Income Countries. 

This paper is released by the Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All) partnership.  It was developed by its Member organizations Consortium in conjunction with UK Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) and the Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) Programme in the run-up to COP26.  

This event will be based on a combination of a short presentation and a panel discussion with one moderator and up to 5 panelists.  

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.  

(1) REGISTER FOR SESSION 3 via this link (2) Receive connection details on Monday, 01 November 2021.  

Moderator:  

• Maruxa Cardama, Secretary General, SLOCAT Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport.   

Presenters:  

• Nancy Vandycke, Manager, SuM4All Program, World Bank   
• Mark Howells, Principal Research Fellow, Imperial College and Professor, Loughborough University 
• Tali Trigg, Independent Consultant, Sustainable Transport and Energy Expert 

Panelists:  

• Anne Joselin, Infrastructure Advisor,  Research and Evidence Directorate, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) 
• Liliana Pereira, Director-LATAM Head of Operations–Equity and Inclusion Practice Lead, Steer 
• Nicolas Beaumont, Senior Vice-President Sustainable Development and Mobility, Michelin 
• Aconkpanle Placide Colombe Badji, Policy Officer, African Union 

Please read our blog Rebalancing the electric vehicle debate at COP26

Please click here to DOWNLOAD THE DISCUSSION PAPER