By Nick Salkeld, COO at MHC Mobility Europe

Nick Salkeld, COO of MHC Mobility Europe

With COP27 now in full swing, all eyes are on Egypt and the discussions being held. As UN Secretary General António Guterres expressed in his opening remarks, climate change is the defining issue of our age and this conference comes at a crucial time as the “window of opportunity remains open, but only a narrow shaft of light remains”. We must act now before it’s too late.

In our industry, we know the essential role sustainable transport plays in tackling the climate crisis, reducing emissions, and improving air quality. That’s why, we’re looking forward to COP27’s Solutions Day on Thursday 17 November where world leaders will come together to discuss sustainable cities and the role of sustainable transport in addressing climate change.

What happened last year?

Huge progress was made at COP26, with a multilateral agreement to focus on the tougher 1.5C aspirational goal of the Paris Agreement rather than the previously agreed 2C target. As well as this landmark change, transport was a key focus; road transport accounts for approximately 20% of carbon dioxide emissions in the EU alone, so it’s essential that this is a central focus of climate discussions. COP26’s dedicated Transport Day saw 30 countries and six of the world’s largest car manufacturers come together to sign a pledge to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035.

Many of these countries and manufacturers are working hard to meet this target and we have already seen promising signs of progress. Across our European teams, we have seen a 40% increase in EV registrations since 2021, highlighting both our and our customer’s commitment towards decarbonisation and electrification.

Turning pledges into action

The pledges made at COP26 marked a significant shift in recognising the urgent need to reduce emissions and the importance of electrification in this goal. But with industry targets fast approaching, this year’s climate conversations must look at how we can action these pledges, creating robust policies and approaches to making sustainable transport options accessible.

Electrification needs to be at the forefront of these conversations, with discussions around how countries can accelerate the roll-out of electric vehicles. We know from our teams across Europe that each country faces unique barriers to EV adoption, and COP27 must facilitate open conversations between world leaders, business leaders and experts about how to overcome these barriers. Charging accessibility and smart charging, for example, will be key in the transition for many countries and cities, and discussions about how we can increase this accessibility is essential to making electric vehicles a viable option for individuals and businesses. In some countries like Poland for example, many people live in flats, so the option of everyone having a charger is not possible. In other European countries there are challenges around grid capacity, with many not being able to cope with mass installation of chargers, so energy and transport policy must be looked at holistically. Practical solutions will mitigate these challenges and encourage wide-scale EV uptake.

We know that EVs alone cannot solve the problem. COP27 is the time to acknowledge the important role of other sustainable transport options and find ways to make them happen. Micro-mobility offerings like e-bikes and scooters offer a more convenient way of getting around, especially in urban areas, and governments must play their part in equipping cities with infrastructure like bike lanes which encourage consumers to relinquish their cars.

Improving public transport is also essential in reaching climate goals. Public transport reduces carbon emissions by 45% and is a vital solution in combatting the climate crisis. World leaders must not only improve networks and infrastructure but encourage citizens to choose this option, by making the greenest option the easiest option.

While different countries are at different points in the sustainability journey, COP27 is an opportunity for businesses and government leaders alike to learn from others and have open conversations about the ways in which global goals can and will be reached. For example, by looking at innovative solutions like the Mixx App and card by Mobility Mixx in the Netherlands, which gives users the option of using any public transport, EVs or micro-mobility offerings, with payments and subscriptions all sitting in one place. Leaders need to give focus to how smart mobility can play a key role in bringing down emissions in their cities.

All these efforts will be important in helping meet the targets pledged in COP26, but to truly make change, a collaborative approach between businesses and governments will be required to make EVs, micro-mobility, smart-mobility and public transport more accessible to citizens.

We hope Solutions Day lives up to its name and world leaders leave with actionable plans for the role of sustainable transport on the road to net zero.

MHC Mobility is a pan-European mobility business, backed by decades of expertise and a long-term focus combined with forward-thinking innovation. MHC Mobility is a member of Mitsubishi HC Capital Group, one of the strongest leasing and finance companies in the world.