At COP21 in Paris, the Global Fuel Economy Initiative committed to extending practical support to 100 countries to implement policies to promote cleaner, more efficient vehicles. By COP23, thanks to new funding from the FIA Foundation, European Commission and Global Environment Facility, GFEI has increased in-country support to over 65 developing and emerging economies, and engaged many more through the G20 (Transport Task Group) and OECD.

At this year’s COP23 Summit, GFEI announced plans to extend its activities as part of this ‘100 for 50by50’ commitment. It says that it has extended support to 40 new countries for establishing vehicle fuel economy baselines and help frame policies – taking the total supported countries to 70.

Unprecedented global action is needed across the transport sector to cut CO2 emissions if the Paris Agreement goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C is to be achieved. GFEI says it is accelerating policy change, and expanding its focus to support efforts to improve the fuel economy of Heavy Duty Vehicles (HDVs), and integrate Electric Vehicles (EVs) into vehicle fuel economy policy frameworks.

The GFEI initiative was started in 2009 in partnership between six international agencies – International Energy Agency (IEA), Industry Transport Forum of the OECD (ITF), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), University of California, Davis (UCDavis), and Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Foundation – with a core objective to promote research, discussion and take actions to improve fuel economy worldwide. It targets to improve average fuel economy of vehicles by 30 percent for all new light duty vehicles globally by 2020 and 50 percent by 2030. For heavy duty vehicles, it is targeting a 35 percent improvement by 2035 (new vehicles), the broader objective being global reduction in total vehicle emissions, that would otherwise double.

Sheila Watson, executive secretary, Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI), addressing the COP23 climate talks in Bonn, Germany earlier this week, reinforced the importance fuel economy plays in reducing transport emissions reduction, and said that the initiative is working with 70 countries globally.

This year’s COP23 Summit marks two years of the Paris climate deal that saw global commitment to take action for limiting global temperature rise by 2 degrees Celsius. According to United Nations (UN) Environment’s latest report, current commitments would only amount to one-third of the emission reductions needed to achieve the target. GFEI states that the target could be achievable if reductions in areas such as vehicle fuel economy policy are fully taken up.

It says that unprecedented action and innovation are needed across the transport sector if the commitments of the Paris Agreement are to be achieved. With the right commitment from countries and key stakeholders, resources and political will, it is possible to achieve the pace of change needed now to save precious resources, support economies and help save the planet.