Day 9 at COP26 is Transport day, which will advance discussions on how to reach zero-emission transport.
The road to zero-emission vehicle
Accelerating the ZEV Transition: A One Way Street, hosted by UNFCCC, was today’s flagship event at COP26. Bringing together global and industry leaders to discuss the future of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), the event began by highlighting the fact that air pollution causes 7 million deaths worldwide per year, underscoring the importance of efforts to decarbonise the transport sector.
Other topics under discussion included the introduction of a COP26 declaration on accelerating the transition to 100% zero-emission cars and vans, which aims for all car sales to be zero-emission by 2035 in leading markets and by 2040 globally. The declaration includes a Memorandum of Understanding regarding Zero Emission Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles, which aims to phase out emissions from such vehicles by 2040.
The event also highlighted the growth of the ZEV market in recent years. A total of 7.2% of all cars sold worldwide this year were electric, up from 2.6% in 2019, while national ZEV targets now cover 41% of the car market, compared with just 8% two years ago.
C40 is also working to accelerate the transition to ZEVs. C40’s Zero-Emission Vehicles Network brings together cities and key industry stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of zero-emission vehicle strategies.
“We need to give everyone access to public transport if we’re going to stop the climate crisis.”
In a joint statement released today during COP26’s Transport Day, a broad coalition called on national governments to collectively double public transport journeys in cities over the next decade, requiring USD $208 billion each year across C40 cities. As electric vehicles are the focus of the COP26 Transport Day, leaders warn public transport must not be forgotten if countries want to meet their climate targets.
New modelling conducted across five major global cities demonstrates that in addition to supporting the sustainable growth of urban economies, the right investment would create 4.6 million new jobs in C40 cities specifically. Each city would gain tens of thousands of jobs between 2021 and 2030 and put them on a pathway to meet climate goals aligned with the Paris Agreement. Moreover, the research shows that for every job created in the city through investment in public transport, another job is created nationally outside of the city.
Public polling also reveals that more than three-quarters of residents in global cities from Jakarta to Johannesburg support national governments prioritising investment in public transport as part of their COVID-19 economic recovery packages.
Learn more about the research findings from C40 and the International Transport Workers’ Federation, and join the campaign to protect mass transit.