The least we can do is everything possible.
The COP21 conference just finished and an historic agreement with ambitious targets is in place. While this is a huge step forward compared to the
The least we can do is everything possible.
The COP21 conference just finished and an historic agreement with ambitious targets is in place.
While this is a huge step forward compared to the Copenhagen disaster it is till a long way from the negotiations in Paris to reality.
While trying to limit climate change to 1,5 degrees is very desirable there is very little practical actions to make this happen.
Regardless the outcome of COP21, now is finally the time to do things. For the past five years we have over and over heard the phrase
“It is now time to start changing”. We need to do more, faster, and with greater enthusiasm. And we need a change in mindset. We should not
talk about starting a sustainable era but to stop the fossil-fuel based economy.
In the growing Mega-cities pollution from transport is creating outdoor gas chambers as the High Court in Delhi commented the Air Quality recently.
This is a huge problem but may also be the turning point for more sustainable transportation solutions.
Air Quality is a much more tangible problem than climate change and is therefore more likely to attract attention and solutions.
When it comes to transport, the best solution to improve air quality is through electrification.
Electrification is one important step for increasing energy efficiency which also has great potential to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions.
The other really important step is downsizing the vehicles. Reducing vehicle weight is always improving the energy efficiency.
Energy efficiency is one key to sustainable transportation. The other is resource efficiency. Resource efficiency is again about weight of the vehicles.
A Tesla is 100% electric and compared to a traditional car quite energy efficient. But weighing in at 2,3 tonnes and using 85kWh of batteries it is very resource inefficient.
There is also one often forgotten aspect of resource efficiency; on average a car is parked 23 hours per day. Increasing the utilization of the vehicles has tremendous potential.
If we could work out new and shared ownership models for vehicles and be able to reduce parking to let’s say “only” 19 hours per day that would reduce the need of vehicles by some 800 million units.
It may sound strange that we as a vehicle manufacturer has ambitions to reduce the market.
Well, of course we want to grow our business but we do not want to grow the traditional industry.
The needed shift in the transportation industry is evident, there is simply no way we can continue to manufacture 60 million cars per year and still believe that we are on track to a sustainable economy.
Do not wait for governments or the incumbents to change.
Now is not the time to start thinking about new solutions but it is time to stop thinking about old, inefficient solutions.
Sweden has decided to achieve fossil independent transportation by 2030. A good and ambitious target. But to get there we need more than a few electric cars on the road.
What Municipality in Sweden will be the first to claim a 100% electric vehicle fleet? What company will only allow 100% electric vehicles?
There are already a lot of sustainable solutions available.
Everything is possible, but everything starts with you.
Be the difference!
Happy Holidays!
Göran Folkesson