The CMS Urbanisation and Transport Roundtable, held during COP28, brought together a host of infrastructure businesses to reflect on the commitments and agreements that have been made.
Leadership and regulatory framework needed to drive sustainability in urbanisation and transport
The COP28 Urbanisation and Transport Day saw a series of announcements, including 30 leaders in shipping signing a joint commitment to enable the use of renewable hydrogen-derived shipping fuel this decade to meet maritime industry decarbonisation targets and the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Germany signing the Green Public Procurement Pledge, committing to drive demand for low and near-zero-emissions steel, cement, and concrete through public procurement; and to develop and use harmonised emissions accounting standards and definitions for construction materials.
The view of the participants was that innovation will be key in driving sustainability in transport and cities. But for this tech to be widely used, it must be both convenient and affordable for the end-user. As an example, electric vehicles are seen as a solution to decarbonise transport, but it may be argued that they may not be as ‘green’ as they appear. Roundtable participants discussed the limited lifecycle of electric cars of around 10-15 years, which causes concerns around the disposal of batteries.
The ease of implementation of new infrastructure solutions will differ across countries – it is easier to implement technology in countries such as the UAE due to the authoritarian government which can push ahead with plans. As a counter-example, the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) expansion in London was not supported by the public and although it was implemented, it has caused some political backlash for the London Mayor.
Participants reflected on public transport in the UAE and the fact that it is in need of improvement, especially in terms of connectivity. In Abu Dhabi, public transport is currently very limited. The connectivity issues of the Dubai Metro could be improved by the planned Blue Line, which will include fourteen new stations. The Doha metro has better connectivity than Dubai, especially from the airport to the city. Despite the high-quality metro system, it’s still not generally used by people who have cars and so a cultural shift will be required if sustainable public transport is to be part of the solution.
Urban environments in some Middle East countries can come at a significant environmental cost, for example the greenery in Dubai which includes golf courses and green lawns that require large amounts of desalinated water. Desalination plants release brine into the sea, as a by-product, which has increased the salinity of seawater and threatened marine biodiversity. A USD 467m pledge for urban climate action was announced on 6 December during COP28. This funding should focus on technology solutions and R&D. Regulation is ultimately key in ensuring that sustainability is not sidelined. When cutting costs, developers may drop environmental elements as they are not deemed essential, which is why a regulatory framework which enforces compliance with environmental standards is necessary.
Participants discussed CCUS and the sense was that whilst it is not the ultimate solution to decarbonisation, it is a short/mid-term solution which should be implemented while the transition to cleaner energy takes place. Ultimately, capturing CO2 is still better than nothing. Roundtable participants discussed the need for the oil & gas industry to be involved with the discussion and lead CCUS efforts…we need to work together on the solution and the transition from fossil fuels cannot be done without the active involvement of the oil & gas sector.
In the Middle East, there is currently no regulatory framework in place to encourage or force sustainability. Roundtable participants discussed the need for a comprehensive regulatory framework is required to incentivise or force a shift towards decarbonisation. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 shows that where there is leadership, transformation is possible. If Vision 2030 is successful, it could offer a blueprint for other countries to improve sustainability in transport and the built environment.
Thank you to all the guests at the Urbanisation and Transport Roundtable – Deutsche Bahn, KBR, Mott MacDonald, Parsons and Tribeig.
