Sum4All Rebalancing the Debate at COP26 and Beyond
An impressive line-up of speakers gathered including from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, to discuss the significant issues raised by the paper launched by Sum4All Partnership in conjunction with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) Programme at the COP26 on November 3. (Watch the event) .
Presenters at this event were Nancy Vandycke, Manager, SuM4All Program, World Bank and Mark Howells, Principal Research Fellow, Imperial College and Professor, Loughborough Uni and Tali Trigg, Independent Consultant, Sustainable Transport and Energy Expert.
Panelists included 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, and Nicolas Beaumont, Senior Vice-President Sustainable Development and Mobility, Michelin.
Nancy Vandycke and Mark Howells made two short presentations outlining the paper followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Maruxa Cardama, Secretary General, SLOCAT Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport.
Experts in the field deep dived on the right pathway for decarbonization of road transport in the countries in the Global South.
Some of the key highlights include:
There is a need to consider the reliability and carbon intensity of the electricity grid before implementing the transition to electromobility
Mark Howells highlighted that most countries in the Global North (for example Norway) that have seen a massive uptake of electric vehicles have low carbon and strong electricity grids.
This is unlike the situation in many less developed countries where the electricity systems are unreliable and carbon intensive. Simply transferring the model to LDCs, Mark said, could be dangerous as it can exacerbate the occurrence of blackouts for households and important economic activities such as mining.
However, as highlighted in the discussion paper, Mark pointed out with coordinated action, a marginal increase in electricity demand related to the demand from electromobility can incentivize investment in the electricity grid which will ultimately lead to clean transport and an increase in electricity access.
Solutions that have worked for the Global North may not work in the same way in the Global South
“There is a need to look at decarbonization solutions in view of local circumstances,” said Nicolas Beaumont.
Speaking from a private sector perspective, Nicolas explained that business models, products, and services working perfectly in the Global North cannot be imported in the same way to the Global South. Nicolas highlighted that there are different pathways for each country and the idea is to decarbonize not to electrify the transport sector. He continued that the Global South is not complicated, it is different and this calls for innovation and solutions in products and services meeting the local needs.
High Income Countries need to step up financing and funding
These are roles for High Income Countries to ensure availability of investment capital for electromobility while still improving the economies in LDCs during the transition,” said Anne Joselin. Anne pointed out that high income countries need to support the institutional and technical capacity of LDCs.
Understanding the differences in transport systems is crucial
Transport systems in the Global North are different from those in the Global South. “In the Global South, majority of the people use public transport 2 and 3 wheelers, and walking as the main modes of transport,” said Liliana Pereira. Liliana said there was a need to reduce travel and expand public transport systems and other sustainable modes of transport before taking up the technology shift to electromobility.
There is a need for equity considerations when implementing electromobility
“Transport should be affordable to ensure access to jobs and opportunities,” Liliana emphasized. If transportation users pay for the transition to electromobility, affordability of transport and access to jobs and opportunities will be affected, she said.
In her concluding remarks, Nancy Vandycke, Manager, SuM4All Program, World Bank, emphasized that the ultimate objective is to decarbonize the transport sector and electrification is only one of the pathways. She continued that a lot of research and more work is needed to validate electromobility as the right pathway to decarbonize the sector.
In summary,
The responsibility and response to climate change rest on the Global North if the Green Divide is to be averted. However, this does not mean that there is a unique solution, applicable to the Global South. The approach must be local as each country in the Global South has salient features of its own. This point was elaborated in the case studies that show different country experiences.
It was brought out from the deep dive that innovative solutions can come from the countries in the Global South and models from the Global North need not be replicated. Solutions that come from the ground up can be innovative and efficient.
Overall, the panelists agreed this was a remarkable piece of work not just to be read but to be discussed and engaged with. (Watch the event)