One Planet Summit Highlights the EU's Climate Leadership

As evidenced by the recent One Planet Summit, the EU and its member states are leading climate action. In the EU, governments, businesses and investors are all engaged in hopeful efforts and initiatives designed to combat climate change.

On the anniversary of the signing of the Paris Climate agreement on December 12, French President Macron convened a summit to encourage private and public financing for the implementation of the Paris agreement. The One Planet Summit was attended by governments, corporations and other organizations. At this event the European Union announced that it would invest at least €9 billion (US$10 billion) on clean energy, sustainable cities and agriculture. Even Theresa May, the less than green-minded prime minister of the UK, acknowledged the need for wealthy nations to help the developing world. She pledged to contribute £140 million to help poorer countries manage climate change.

European nations are also working towards the goal of eradicating emissions. Germany is already a climate leader and that nation has announced that it will slash its greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 95 percent by 2050. France has emerged as the global climate leader. The country in engaged in serious emission reduction efforts through the adoption of a host of forward looking initiatives.

The EU and its member states are leading producers of renewable energy. engaged in consorted efforts to reduce emissions, ratchet-up climate finance, move away from fossil fuels, grow the green economy, and invest in agricultural adaptation.

The EU's efforts are all the more important in the face of the fiasco that is the Trump administration. Trump has eviscerated the US government's climate action plan. Trump announced that he is withdrawing from the 2015 Paris Climate agreement.

The US is now the only nation on Earth that has will not honor to their emissions reduction pledges. In the face of an historically irresponsible US government the EU is leading nations, organizations and individuals who are committed to the goals of the Paris Accord.

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France Shows Trump What Climate Leadership Looks Like

France is leading climate action. The host nation for the signing of the historic Paris Agreement has repeatedly refuted Trump's climate denial while adopting a raft of measures as part of an ambitious national climate plan.  It is fair to say that with its support of science, climate focused political agenda, and progressive climate plan France is one of the most sustainable countries in the world.  French efforts have been ongoing for years and include everything from mandatory sustainability reporting to the problem of food waste. In May France announced that it was moving forward with 17 GW of clean energy investments. These are just some of the reason France has emerged as a global climate leader.


Science

The US under Donald Trump is the only nation in the world that is not signed on to the Paris Climate Agreement. In reponse to Trump's contempt for climate science, France awarded "Make Our Planet Great Again" grants to 18 researchers including 13 US climate scientists. The research grants will extend throughout the remainder of Trump's term (assuming he is able to avoid impeachment). The laureates include professors and researchers from Cornell University, Columbia University, and Stanford University.

Following Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Accord in June French President Emmanuel Macron said that France would cover the US share of funding for a U.N. climate change panel. When Macron and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger met in July they made fun of Trump's climate denial. "Now we will deliver together to make the planet great again," Macron said.

He also sent out an invitation to US climate scientists saying:

"To all scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs who were disappointed by the decision of the President of the United States I want to say that they will find in France a second homeland. I call them to come and work here, with us on concrete solutions for our climate and our environment. I can assure you that France will not give up the fight".

Macron awarded 3-5 year long climate research grants worth between €1 - €1.5 million. The grants cover research for climate modeling as well as well as the technological and social challenges associated with transitioning away from fossil fuels. At the beginning of 2018, France is teaming up with Germany to provide €60 million worth of grants to 50 projects.

Macron said during the ceremony: “We will be there to replace US financing of climate research. If we want to prepare for the changes of tomorrow, we need science”.

As reported by the Star one of the awardees lamented the "devaluing of science by this administration" These remarks came from Louis Derry, a leading professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences at Cornell, who also said that he is happy to be free of the "crazy stuff that goes on in Congress and with the current administration".

Another grant recipient is Núria Teixidó Ullod, a visiting scientist at Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University. Her research revealed the relationship between fossil fuels and drought. Another recipient of the French grant is Alessandra Giannini. Giannini is a Research Scientist at Columbia University. Giannini is well known for having conducted research that makes a causal connection between global warming and drought.

Trump is pleased to see these people go because their research flatly contradicts his climate denying narrative.

Politics

Macron has made it clear that climate action will continue regardless of what the ruling US administration does. After it has become clear that the US president has no interest in listening to reason, The French president seems to have decided that Trump is not relevant. Macron is part of a growing chorus that sees Trump as irrelevant. To make the point Trump was not invited to the climate-focused UN and World Bank's "One Planet Summit," that took place one day after the Macron's grant award ceremony.

France must also be acknowledged for having stemmed the tide of right-wing populism. In the wake of Trump's electoral victory, some were concerned that similar dystopia creating governments would pop up all across Europe.

Many are saying that France's rejection of the far right in recent elections killed the momentum that threatened all of Europe. Germans followed the French lead reelected Angela Merkle. Europeans seem to be rejecting the politics of Trump (and UK Prime Minister Theresa May), instead they are embracing progressive centrist forms of government. The importance of France in this respect cannot be overstated. France is a bulwark against the cancerous nationalism that is presently dividing Americans.

The fossil fuel industry pays the Repubublicans handsomely to deny climate science and the recent tax bill is an homage to that relationship. It would appear that Trump and the GOP are using nationalism to mask a plutocracy.

Although Macron's government is decidedly pro-capitalism, they are also anti-corruption. The Trump administration by contrast is the most corrupt administration in Amercian history. 

Economy

France is a model for Republicans who purport to be concerned about the economy and claim to be pro-business. Since 2015 the French economy has been steadily growing. Entrepreneurs seem to be thriving in the country and this has pushed France ahead of the rest of Europe in startup fundraising.Macron acknowledges the importance of climate consideration as both a health concern and an economic issue. This is evident in their appraisal of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada. In October France announced that they would only ratify the trade deal it will not affect the nation's climate policies and regulations.

France has seen tremendous economic returns from their investments in clean energy.  First with nuclear and increasingly with renewables France is a clean energy titan. France is currently a low carbon energy leader getting more than 75 percent of its electricity from nuclear power. It produces so much energy, in fact, that it exports much of it to nearby nations to the annual tune of $3.2 billion.

"France wants to become the No. 1 green economy." This is part of France's ambitious climate plan. After the announcement Shares of French automaker, PSA Group rose 2.4 percent and Renault SA gained 1.9 percent, making them the day’s best performers on the Bloomberg 500 Autos Index.

Climate plan

In July French Ecological Transition Minister Nicolas Hulot unveiled details of a national climate plan to help France eliminate net carbon emissions by 2050.  Macron's predecessor President Francois Hollande, strongly supported renewable energy and he made bold strides towards ramping up capacity.  Holland announced that France will close all of the nation's coal-fired power plants by 2022.

Macron is continuing Holland's agenda by ramping up renewables and encouraging homeowners to produce their own energy. Last summer Macron announced that he is planning a massive home renovation retrofit program that will reduce energy consumption and cut CO2 emissions.

France is embracing renewables are abandoning fossil fuels. This includes an initiative to end the sale of fossil fuel powered cars by 2040. Hulot said that the government will stop issuing licenses for oil and gas exploration on French territory. "There will be no new exploration licenses for hydrocarbons," Hulot told BFMTV. Hulot has previously indicated that France will offer tax incentives to help get fossil fuel powered vehicles--especially older vehicles--off of the road. Hulot has also expressed an interest in raising diesel taxes.

On the issue of climate change Trump is like Macron's polar opposite just as Scott Pruitt is Huot's evil antithesis. Trump and Pruitt are eroding support for renewables and smoothing the path for more fossil fuel development.  The contrast between the climate focus of Macron's government and the rampant denial in the Trump administration could not be starker. The two governments have diametrically opposed climate narratives. While Macron is charting a course into the future, Trump is reaching back to the darkness that got us here.

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Germany Continues its Green Dominance in 2015 (Video)

Europe has the highest concentration of national sustainability efforts in the world. In 2015 Nordic countries once again assumed a leadership role along with France. In addition to being an economic giant Germany is also an environmental titan. Germany is ranked fourth in the Global Green Economy Index.and seventh in a RobecoSAM study. Germany has distinguished itself as an early adopter of clean power and it has a secure place in history as a renewable energy pioneer.

The country has passed legislation in support of renewable energy and it is producing results. In 2015 Germany set solar power records and surpassed some major renewable energy milestones that are the envy of governments around the world.

German efforts extend beyond renewable energy and encompass green building. Germany was ranked number 6 in the world by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2014.

The German government led by Angela Merkel has joined other major powers in endorsing ambitious climate objectives. This includes a statement calls for, "deep cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions," and "decarbonisation of the global economy over the course of this century."

Germany is not a newcomer to climate action and Merkel has been at the forefront of this movement for two decades. In 1996 Merkel was a German representative in the European Council of environment ministers that were the first political body to declare the goal of keeping temperatures below 2C was the goal.

Germany is a world leading renewable energy power getting as much of three quarters of its daily demand from clean sources. On July 25, 2015, Germany obtained 78 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.

Year after year German production of renewable energy has increased. In 2015 Germany generated 193 billion kilowatt hours (billion kWh), or one third of its energy from renewable sources up one fifth from the year before.

Cleantech not only reduces the countries emissions it is providing jobs. Nearly 800,000 jobs people work in the cleantech sector and 214,000 people work in renewables in Germany.

The German government has supported the growth of renewable energy and managed to radically reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. As part of a policy called "energiewende" (energy transition) policies Germany is embarking on complete de-fossilization. Germany is already on the cusp of getting 34 percent of its energy from renewables a target it had set to achieve by 2020. The country expects to get 100 percent of its electricity requirements from renewables by 2050.

Cities across Germany are ramping up their renewable energy capacity. The small German town of Feldheim gets all of its electricity from renewables and Munich, Germany's third largest city is working to get all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025. The city of Frankfurt has pledged to have zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Frankfurt 's comprehensive energy management scheme has decoupled growth from emissions. The city has reduced its emissions by 15 percent since 1990 and grew its economy by 50 percent. The nation as a whole has also succeeded in decoupling economic growth and emissions. Germany's GDP has grown while their GHGs have fallen. 

German cities also support for car free zones and green spaces. There German city of Hamburg has what may be the most climate friendly motto's in the world: “Understanding climate change — reducing climate change — master the effects of climate change.”

In 2015, Hamburg announced plans to eliminate fossil fuel powered cars in the next couple of decades and cover a two-mile section of the Autobahn with greenspaces. These "roof-parks" will cover 60 acres and have forests, gardens, and trails.

Germany's support for renewable energy also extends to other countries. In 2015 the nation gave India a 125 billion Euro loan for green energy projects. The Indo-German partnership is designed to fund transmission infrastructure of renewable energy projects. The German loans will fund green energy projects in Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

Germany is a model for the world that is a real world refutation of some of the criticism leveled against renewables. The fossil fuel lobby frequently point to the problem of intermittancy of renewables (eg the sun is not always shining and the wind is not always blowing). However, as pointed out in a Bloomberg article, Germany proves that intermittancy can be overcome.

In this short film, Germany Trade & Invest focus on Germany’s Renewable Energy Revolution. Scientists, industry leaders, and politicians review the country's achievements, next steps, and the opportunities the energy transition offers.



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France: One of the Most Sustainable Countries in 2015

In 2015 France stood out as one of the most sustainable countries in the world due to the scope of their national efforts and the wider economic implications of their actions. While Nordic countries and their neighbor Germany have ranked very highly on a number of national sustainability assessments, France must be including on any list of the greenest European countries in 2015. France is listed among the top ten countries in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranking of 180 nations. 

As hosts of the COP21 climate talks last December French leadership was essential. This is particularly true in light of the Paris terror attacks that took place just prior to the start of the final round of negotiations. Under the leadership of Francois Hollande France has been a global climate leader. In addition to being the host of the most important climate conference in human history, France introduced a number of sustainability measures in 2015. From managing food waste to supporting renewable energy France showed that it is walking the talk last year.

In 2015 France passed important green energy legislation that will quadruple the country's carbon tax by 2020. They also installed a 300 megawatt solar PV plant that is now the largest such facility in Europe. France is striving to get almost a quarter of its energy from renewables by 2020 and 40 percent by 2030.

France has also made green and solar roofs mandatory on all new constructions and they have restricted the number of fossil fuel powered vehicles that can travel on city roads. France has also made sustainability reporting mandatory.

Alongside government efforts French companies are assuming a leadership role. For example Air France and a hundred or so other corporate leaders endorsed a statement that included calls for "prompt and decisive action on climate change." The statement sought to lay out a framework to combat climate change and stimulate economic growth. It explicitly called for more clean energy.

French power stations are pushing for an energy roadmap. Électricité de France and other companies that comprise the Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership (GSEP) sent a letter to governments urging them to provide a clear pathway outlining the move away from fossil fuels and towards low-carbon energy.

France is also investing in clean power in the developing world. The French and Jordanian Prime Ministers signed an agreement for a $44 million loan to build a transmission corridor for renewable energy.

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France Makes Sustainability Reporting Mandatory

There is a growing trend towards mandatory sustainability reporting and France is leading the way by introducing obligatory carbon reporting for financial institutions. This means that pension funds, insurance companies and other institutional investors in France will have to disclose environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

These ESG issues, including risks associated with climate change, are of increasing interest to investors as the world transitions to a low carbon economy. Under the new rules investors will need to set targets and measure progress. They will also be held accountable if these targets are not met.

The announcement was made by finance minister Michel Spapin on May 22nd at the Climate Finance Day conference in Paris. The rule is contained in draft legislation known as Article 48 of the French Energy Transition Law which was recently passed by the French parliament.

France is establishing itself as a climate leader with a host of initiatives from national emissions reductions pledges, to reducing food waste. The UK already requires companies to disclose the risks of climate change and mitigation efforts. Sweden may very well be next. The mandatory sustainability reporting will put pressure on other nations to follow suit.

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France Curbs Vehicles and Decrees Green or Solar Roofs

In France we are seeing efforts to both curb vehicular emissions and increase renewable energy. City officials in Paris have instituted a system that is designed to curb the number of cars that can drive in Paris. This follows new legislation mandating either solar panels or plants on the roofs of all new buildings.

Last March France restricted both GMOs and cars, this March their vehicular restrictions continue alongside the new rooftop initiative.

Air quality is problem in Paris, so city officials are using partial bans on cars to reduce pollution from car exhaust. On Monday March 23, Paris banned cars vehicles with even-numbered license plates. To enforce the ban there were more than one thousand police. The policy was enacted into law last year and it gives government the authority to limit vehicles dependent on air quality readings.

In another move that benefits air quality France has issued a decree that demands that a part of all new rooftops to be covered in either plants or solar panels. The new law was passed on Thursday March 19 and it applies to all new buildings in commercial zones across the country.

Green roofs sequester carbon, provide oxygen and offer an additional layer of insulation. Additional benefits include the promotion of biodiversity, providing a nesting place for birds and retaining rainwater which reduces runoff.

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French Energy Leadership: Nuclear, Fossil Fuels and GHGs

France will reduce its dependence on nuclear energy while decreasing its use of fossil fuels and slashing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This is in stark contrast to nation's like Japan, Germany and Italy which are increasing fossil fuel use to to make up for the decommissioning of nuclear plants.  France plans to ramp up wind and other renewable sources of energy to replace nuclear.

When he was elected in 2012, French President François Hollande promised to reduce the country’s use of nuclear energy from 75 percent to 50 percent by 2025. This vision was reiterated in April, by the new French Prime Minister Manuel Valls who said the details of the French energy mix will be revealed in an energy law that will be unveiled by the end of June.

As many as 20 French reactors may have to be closed by 2025 to meet Hollande’s pledge to reduce dependence on nuclear power.

According to the World Bank, in 2012, fossil fuels accounted for half (49 percent) of the France's energy consumption.

What makes France a clean energy leader is the fact that by 2030 the country will virtually eliminate nuclear power while reducing its use of fossil fuels by 30 percent and slashing carbon emissions by 40 percent.

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France Restricts Both GMOs and Cars: Vivre La France!

In an ecological one two combination France has dealt punishing blows to both genetically modified foods and fossil fuel powered cars. France is making an environmental stand by challenging genetically modified foods (GMOs) and auto emissions. In a brazen move the country has issued a decree that bars Monsanto's genetically modified maize known as MON 810. They are also restricting cars from entering Paris.

The French government's position is that GMOs present environmental risks, however this is not close to being a done deal. What makes the banning of Monsanto so bold is the fact that similar efforts have been struck down by French courts twice. To make matters worse, MON 810 is currently the only variety of maize authorized for use in the EU.

Longstanding differences between EU countries resurfaced in February when they failed to agree on whether or not to approve another GM maize variety, Pioneer 1507, developed by DuPont and Dow Chemical. France would like to see the EU change its stance on GMOs including restricting MON 810 and Pioneer 1507.

To help combat the smog problem in Paris, France has introduced driving restrictions that will prevent cars from entering the city on alternate days. These new rules are important because the country's diesel fuel subsidies have helped to put a lot of diesel burning engines on French roads. According to research from UC Berkeley, diesel fuel is responsible for the lions share of smog pollution. Specifically secondary organic aerosol (SOA) which contributes to respiratory problems and poor air quality.

Drivers are only permitted to use their cars on alternate days, which in theory should reduce the number of vehicles on Paris streets by one half. The move comes in concert with free public transport, including cycle and electric car-sharing schemes.

The tandem of less cars and fewer GMOs is a combination that is being heralded by environmentalists all around the world.

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Event - 2013 Sustainable Transportation Week Ottawa

The third edition of Sustainable Transportation Week will take place from Monday, September 16 to Sunday, September 22 in Ottawa, Ontario.

Frustrated about congestion in Ottawa? Feel like you’re wasting time and money sitting in traffic every day? It’s time to make your commute faster and more fun!

Coordinated by EnviroCentre in partnership with the City of Ottawa and Vivre en Ville in Gatineau, the goal of STW is to encourage residents of the National Capital Region to walk, cycle, take transit, and carpool instead of driving alone. There are many benefits of sustainable transportation: saving time and money, getting exercise as part of your daily routine, and exploring new neighbourhoods.

Participants in Sustainable Transportation Week also benefit by being eligible to win about $4,000 worth prizes, including:

•a trip for 4 on VIA Rail; •a year of free transit from OC Transpo; and
•$50 at Bayshore Mall or Smakk.ca!

How can you participate?

•Commit to using sustainable transportation at least once by joining our free online contest. It only takes a minute to enter and you become eligible for $4,000 worth of exciting prizes!
•Follow the bike-bus-car race to see which mode can navigate through rush-hour traffic the fastest!
•Learn about how your workplace can benefit from flex-hours at the public conference on work-shifting.
•Participate in the launch of Ottawa’s first Sustainability Tour on September 14th and explore rural and urban sites in the region that demonstrate a commitment to economic, environmental, and social sustainability.

For more information click here.

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The Green Economy is the Right Solution for our Troubled Times

The green economy offers a powerful solution to both a warming planet and economic volatility. There are a host of political and economic crises in the world today. The Eurozone crisis is expected to be followed by a European recession. In China we are seeing strong evidence of a slowdown and many are calling for major economic reforms. Finally, the hope and promise of the “Arab Spring’ has given way to a winter of discontent, as the Arab world suffers due to a weak economy and high unemployment.

Amidst all this economic uncertainty, global warming continues unabated. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said all 11 years of the 21st century rank among the 13 warmest. NASA noted 9 of the top 10 warmest years in its record have occurred since 2000. The La Nina effect was the warmest on record in 2011, according to data from NOAA and NASA. The increasing probability of massive flooding caused by melting Greenland and Antarctic icecaps are creating real concerns about the future of the planet.

The string of warm years in the last decade is linked to rapidly increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases. In a press release, NASA wrote “Higher temperatures today are largely sustained by increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide.” As the world’s economies get stronger, energy demands will keep increasing and carbon emissions will keep rising.

As reported in a Green Energy Intelligence Report, it is predicted that by 2030, U.S. energy related CO2 emissions will amount to 6.9 billion metric tons (“MT”) under a “business-as-usual” scenario. Worldwide, energy-related CO2 emissions are projected to increase from 28.1 billion MT in 2005 to 42.3 billion MT in 2030. Together with non-energy related CO2 eq emissions (deforestation, industrial production processes, etc.), total CO2 eq emissions are projected to reach 62 giga (billion) tons (“Gt”) by 2030 (McKinsey June 2008).

The IEA’s chief economist has said that governments only have five years to avoid more than 2°C of global mean temperature rise. Extreme weather events add to the data and send an easy to read message that the time has arrived for a new economic framework. According to NOAA, there were 10 massive weather disasters in the U.S. last year, each exceeding a billion dollars. The unprecedented weather extremes include the following estimates of death and damage:

■Hurricane Irene: 50 deaths and $7 billion
■Upper Midwest flooding along the Missouri River: $2 billion
■Mississippi River flooding in spring and summer: $4 billion
■Drought and heat waves in Texas and Oklahoma: $5 billion
■Tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast in May: 177 deaths and $7 billion
■Tornadoes in the Ohio Valley and Southeast in April: 32 deaths and $9 billion
■Tornadoes in Oklahoma and Pennsylvania in April: $2 billion
■Tornadoes in the Northeast and Midwest April 8-11: $2.2 billion
■Tornadoes in central and southern states April 4-5: $2.3 billion
■Blizzard in January from Chicago to the Northeast: 36 deaths and $2 billion

The costs of extreme weather are astronomical, and it is predicted they will get much worse if we do not address the anthropogenic greenhouse gases that cause climate change. We need a framework to address both the economic and environmental ills that the world is facing. We also need a means of increasing our energy supply without increasing our greenhouse gas emissions. The Green Economy offers the solutions we so desperately need.

According to a July, 2011 report from the Brookings Institution, 2.7 million Americans work at green jobs – more than work in the fossil fuel industry. The US Conference of Mayors estimates that number will almost triple by 2040.

The green jobs study by the Brookings Institute suggests the U.S. should put primary emphasis on new, technology-intensive, energy-related sectors. The study by the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program is called “Sizing the Clean Economy: A National and Regional Green Jobs Assessment” The chief conclusion they came to is that the driving force behind jobs and the growth of the U.S. clean economy over the last decade has been emerging energy technologies. This is a conclusion echoed in Google’s energy innovation report.

Green jobs are also quality jobs with median wages 13 percent higher than the average. Investment in clean energy projects yields more than three times as many jobs as investing in fossil fuels. Although the green economy is producing results now, the growth potential is staggering.

The failure of the US Congress to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation has slowed the growth of the green economy, but it is not too late. A good example of what can be done even in the absence of federal government legislation comes from a Los Angeles cleantech business incubator (LACI). The LACI approach identifies local talent, nurtures it, and helps it get to market, resulting in more jobs and a bigger green economy in Los Angeles and beyond.

A UNEP study reveals that investing in the green economy will spur growth. Contrary to conservative belief, the greening of economies is not generally a drag on growth but rather a new engine of growth and a net generator of decent jobs. The Green Economy Report is compiled by UNEP’s Green Economy Initiative. The report, called Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication, recommends spending $1.3 trillion a year on the green economy.

Pavan Sukhdev, head of UNEP’s Green Economy Initiative said, “Governments have a central role in changing laws and policies, and in investing public money in public wealth to make the transition possible. By doing so, they can also unleash the trillions of dollars of private capital in favour of a green economy,”

Source: Global Warming is Real

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China Poised to Challenge Global Auto Giants in the Greener Vehicle Market

Under the government"s long-term science and technology plan China is exploring a variety of greener vehicle technologies. In 2006, the Chines government issued a policy directive to encourage the development of small cars with low fuel consumption and low emissions.

China's Chang’an Auto is already mass producing a hybrid vehicle for about $20,000, which is $10,000 less than the Toyota Prius hybrid. Chang’an produced 50,000 Jiexun-HEV hybrid cars in 2010.

China's efficient low emission vehicles are part of its global strategy aimed at the greener global vehicle market. In addition to the growing domestic market, China is increasing exports to developing nations, as well as to the US and Europe.

Inexpensive compact cars like the Chery QQ, and the Geely Panda are selling well domestically. There is also a resurgence of demand for larger sedans in China. These larger models are important to its export strategy. In 2009, 30,000 of the 190,000 Chinese cars were exported.

Geely plans to increase its overseas sales to 1.3 million vehicles annually by 2015, with assembly plants already operating in Russia, Ukraine and Indonesia, and another one planned in Mexico.

Chery, exported 120,000 vehicles in 2009 and has over 20 overseas plants designed to boost sales in Russia, the Middle East, South America and South Africa. The company also signed an agreement to produce compact cars under the Chrysler brand for US and European markets.

The Chinese are positioning themselves to take on the global giants in global sales of greener vehicles.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Growing Demand for Greener Vehicles

Demand for electric and hybrid cars has risen dramatically in recent years. The steady growth in this market is driven by a wave of new technologies, shifts in global competition and changes in public policy.

We have come to expect green vehicle development from nations like Japan, South Korea, China, Germany and France, but even lesser automotive powers are responding to this growing international demand. Public opinion is getting behind greener vehicles.

Governments and private enterprise are responding to this growing demand. Consistent with public policy initiatives all around the world, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is joining the chorus of countries that see electric and hybrid vehicles as a fundamental part of the move to a low carbon economy. Russian car maker YAROVIT Motors and financial company Onexim Group are making an electric hybrid vehicle called the E-Mobile (or Yo).

Demand for greener vehicles is growing almost everywhere. Even in America, where the public has been brainwashed by Republicans and corporations that are beholden to the old energy economy, acceptance of the new environmental and economic realities is growing. According to a 2010 survey from Ernst & Young, nearly 30 million Americans would consider buying a hybrid or fully electric vehicle. The commercial transportation industry is also getting serious about greener vehicles.

A late-2009 report from Pike Research forecast that hybrid fleet sales would increase from 300,000 in 2009 to nearly 4 million hybrid vehicles by 2015. "Manufacturers are beginning to turn their attention beyond light duty vehicles to the efficiency opportunities for hybrid drive in heavy trucks," Clint Wheelock, a managing director at Pike, said in the report. "For example, in North America nearly 10 percent of buses sold in 2015 will be hybrids."

A new study by California-based J.D. Power and Associates indicates that battery-based vehicles are likely to capture 7.3 percent of the global automotive market. However, J.D. Power researchers say that several factors could radically increase that number. These factors include battery cost reductions, increases in petroleum prices and new government mandates.

In a speech at the Fortune Brainstorm Green 2010 conference, Ford Motor Co. Chairman William Ford outlined some of the key forces influencing the demand for green cars in the US.
Federal subsidies are critical because, as Ford explained, it is "really important that we are competitive as a nation in this really critical technology." Removing subsidies would be a mistake because "that's not what other countries are doing."

China's funding of green automotive tech makes China a competitive threat. "They all have plans to come over, and we would be absolutely crazy" to underestimate China's affect on the US auto market, Ford said.

To make it easier to adapt to changing demand, Ford is developing common platforms using existing car models.

Due to increasing global urbanization automotive companies may consider alternatives to traditional ownership and leasing arrangements and provide "mobility as service," such as car sharing programs.

However, there are limits to the number of battery powered electric vehicles that can be manufactured. Lithium is a key ingredient in advanced batteries. The future demand for lithium is expected to outpace supply. Companies like BYD are already looking for new sources of lithium. According to a European Commission study of raw materials for high technology goods, if drivers continue opting for battery powered electric cars, by 2050 the supply will not be able to keep up with the demand.

To achieve real market penetration greener vehicles must appeal to consumers through features, functionality and price. Creative innovation in both business models and technology, will drive demand in the greener car market.


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