6 December 2018: Climate action stakeholders adopted a proposal by Poland and the UK on e-mobility during a high-level electro-mobility event, which took place at the Katowice Climate Change Conference. Thirty-eight countries from five continents and 1,200 companies and international organizations, representing over 1,500 cities and regions, joined the ‘Katowice Partnership for Electromobility.’

In advance of the Katowice Climate Change Conference, Poland’s Secretary of State at the Ministry of the Environment and President of the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 24) to the UNFCCC, Michal Kurtyka, and the UK Minister for Business and Industry, Richard Harrington, launched an initiative for electromobility and development of zero-emission transport. The ‘Driving Change Together: Katowice Partnership for Electromobility’ is a dedicated framework for encouraging technological and organizational changes in the sector to further develop zero-emission transport.

At COP 24, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Kurtyka presented the Initiative. Morawiecki described supporting electromobility as an integral part of Poland’s responsible development policy, saying Poland will allocate nearly US$3 billion dollars towards electromobility in the coming years. He said Poland has prepared a financial instrument to support implementation of planned electromobility and clean transport measures, known as the ‘Low Emission Transport Fund,’ which is expected to be operational at the beginning of 2019. Morawiecki extended an invitation to the first international Electromobility Forum, which will convene in Poland in fall 2019.

E-transport that depends on electricity from fossil fuel combustion could add to the challenge instead of alleviating it.

Signatories to the Katowice Partnership for Electromobility declare their support for the development of the e-mobility sector, and pledge to exchange experience and enhance scientific cooperation.

The UN Secretary-General welcomed the Driving Change Together declaration as “an essential step towards a decarbonized transport system,” and urged “all actors to support it.” In his remarks at the event, he observed that electric vehicles “need to increasingly displace the combustion engine in favor of reducing emissions and air pollution.” Guterres cautioned, however, that the growth in electric vehicles will have a “significant impact on electricity demand,” which could create challenges across the energy system, particularly at peak times. He further cautioned that e-transport that depends on electricity from fossil fuel combustion could add to the challenge instead of alleviating it. Guterres concluded by urging a carefully managed transition to e-mobility to enable the world to yield “all the potential benefits in full.”

The Polish Pavilion at COP 24 focused on electromobility on 4 December. The Pavilion held events introducing the Partnership, a debate on the future of electromoblity and a panel discussion on infrastructure, transport and energy storage.

The Polish Presidency also prepared the ‘Solidarity and Just Transition Silesia Declaration,’ which envisages reaching targets on climate protection while also maintaining economic development and workplaces. President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, announced the Declaration at the COP 24 opening. He explained that “history shows us that by acting together, in the spirit of solidarity, we can achieve impossible things,” and expressed hope that the declaration would inspire COP 24 participants to search for the best solutions for climate and the global community. [UN News Story] [COP 24 Press Release on Prime Minister Announcement] [COP 24 News Story on Polish Pavilion] [Driving Change Together: Katowice Partnership for Electromobility] [COP 24 Press Release on Solidarity and Just Transition Silesia Declaration] [IISD RS Coverage of Katowice Climate Change Conference]