As the world gears up for the International Transport Summit, it is crucial to recognise that the energy transition in the transport sector is not happening fast enough.
Transport is the fastest-growing energy-consuming sector worldwide, yet it has the lowest overall use of renewable energy, accounting for a mere 4% of its energy consumption.
This alarming statistic is from the international policy network REN21’s latest Renewables Global Status Report, and demands immediate attention.
The transport sector continues to be a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for 20% of the global total, and the trend is on the rise (+ 7.8% compared with 2020, despite a reduction observed during the Covid pandemic).
Road and marine transport, as well as aviation are the primary culprits, with road transport alone responsible for 76.6% of emissions in 2021.
The only reason is that road transport is driven by fossil fuel. The rapid growth in electric vehicles, including two and three-wheelers and buses, is a sign of hope, particularly in Asia with a 54% increase in global investment, but it is not enough.
It should also not overshadow the subsequent growing need for power and the likelihood that it is produced from fossil sources.
The energy crisis and the climate situation call for a real energy transition in transport. This transition requires an overhaul of the dominant fossil fuel-based ecosystem.
First and most obviously, all subsidies on fossil fuels must be stopped. We cannot expect significant progress in transforming road transport or increasing the uptake of renewables while such subsidies persist.
Investing in the development of new internal combustion engines is also not helpful and the fossil fuel vehicle industry should be given incentives to halt and move towards the electrification of transport.
Most urgent and delicate to address, the fossil fuel-based energy sector puts forward inappropriate technologies that creates insecurity for energy consumers and deters them from moving to renewables.
Renewable energy is the least costly source of energy. It is climate resilient, and it allows for a better management of cost, independently of geopolitically fluctuating fossil fuel prices. The question is, how can we fast track its use?
We must all acknowledge that the rules and solutions of the past belong to the past, and we must collectively act on this. Working in silos will not generate the solutions we need to address the most pressing problems of today’s world and its future.
The “Avoid-Shift-Improve” framework needed to make transport more sustainable involves avoiding overall travel when possible, shifting to more efficient modes of transportation, and improving vehicle technologies.
To achieve this, public policies and land management strategies can help reduce the need for motorised transport, especially in urban areas. Incentives and investments can also encourage people to use less energy-intensive modes such as cycling, walking and rail.
Cross-sectoral cooperation is paramount and urgent. Policy-makers must integrate energy and transport planning, and we can already see this happening at the sub-national level where things are easier to land.
I call on transport leaders coming to Leipzig for the International Transport Summit (and all the others) to work with their counterparts to put public investment in the right infrastructure: grids, charging infrastructure and public transport. I also urge them to pay close attention to the upcoming United Nations Conference of Parties, COP28, in Dubai at the end of the year as a crucial milestone to anchor fossil fuel phase out on the global agenda and double it with strong renewable energy targets.
Rana Adib is the executive director of the international policy network REN21.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Mail & Guardian.