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Expansion of fossil-fuel vehicle phase-outs moves world one step closer to a climate-safe future 

Electric Vehicles Charging at a Station
Image Credit: Stivabc/Pixabay

By Buddy Burch, The Climate Center

In March 2020, we launched an update to the Survey of Global Activity to Phase Out Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Vehicles. This survey, which details leadership and innovation in pursuit of electrifying the transportation sector for a climate-safe future, has been an ongoing effort at The Climate Center. We are thrilled at the readership and the response to the survey, and we will continue to ensure that the document serves as a resource for folks working towards zero-emission transportation. 

Below are  changes identified in this update. First, Egypt, Iceland, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, and Sweden have been added to the list of countries working to phase out ICE vehicles. The report now features major players from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Northern Africa, and South America, making this a global effort. The “countries” section also features an ongoing discussion within the EU. Countries within this economic bloc are currently discussing whether or not to roll out a ban as a single actor, or if the decision will be made on a county-by-country basis. 

Cities are also expanding their efforts to phase out ICE vehicles. This update to the survey included the addition of Amsterdam, Berlin, Birmingham, Honolulu, Jakarta, Liverpool, Greater Manchester, Medellin, Rio de Janeiro, Rotterdam, Santiago, Santa Monica, Seoul, Warsaw, West Hollywood, Bogotá, Bristol, British Columbia, and New York City as cities taking actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles. In the private sector, we also observed an exciting change in marketing strategies. Most notably, four auto manufacturers (Audi, General Motors, Porsche, and Ford) bought advertisements to showcase their electric cars during the past year’s Super Bowl. The event, which aired with 102.1 million viewers, is an example of a space that holds great potential for creating culture change around consumer preferences. 

The push to electrify transportation will continue as we work together toward net negative emissions by 2030 for a climate-safe future. We welcome your questions and updates as we strive to support speed and scale solutions with the best information available. Future updates to the “Survey on Global Activities to Phase out ICE Vehicles” will be shared at staging-theclimatecenter.org