Automakers Ford, General Motors and Daimler will stop making fossil fuel-powered cars (Pixabay)
Curio Teak, from NINJA Coverage at COP26
In the final stretch of the 26th United Nations Conference on Climate Change, which ends this Friday (12), one of the most debated topics was the use of fossil fuels and proposals for the transition from a sustainable alternative to the transport sector .
This Thursday (11), around 30 countries and 40 cities and state governments committed to accelerate the transition to carbon-free vehicles. There is only one intention: to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Automakers Ford, General Motors and Daimler have pledged to phase out fossil fuel vehicles by 2040.
Brazil and the United States have not yet signed the declaration. Among those who made the commitment are the United Kingdom, Israel, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Denmark. Among the 40 cities and state governments that will embark are São Paulo (State), Barcelona, Los Angeles, San Francisco, California and New York.
In addition to the efforts of countries and vehicle manufacturers to create sustainable alternatives, converging points were discussed between countries and states to change travel habits, especially in cities. Encouraging the habit of using bicycles, walking and minimal use of the personal car is one of the criteria for creating alternative means of transportation.
One of the surprises of the COP 26 during this last week of negotiations was the agreement between the United States and China to intensify the climate cooperation ambitions. One of the points of the agreement calls on governments to “accelerate the elimination of coal and fossil fuel subsidies”.
Emission targets are lower than expected to be achieved in this final push. The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of countries, for example, fell short of what was necessary. The projection is that there will still be a 13.7% increase in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2010. The stipulated goal was to cut 50% of emissions by the end of the decade.