Rapporteur Talks

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), of all direct CO2 emissions from fuel combustion, transportation accounts for 24%.

Therefore, decarbonising the transport sector is a key element on the run up to COP26 – and biofuels have a significant role if we are to achieve the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC.

Brazil is the second largest producer of biofuels in the world – second only to the United States – and has the largest fleet of “flex fuel” vehicles in the world. For over 50 years now, cars in Brazil have been powered by sustainable biofuels that not only mitigate climate change, but also promote economic growth, social inclusion and public health benefits.

Clean transport and electric vehicles are one of the priority campaigns of the British presidency of COP26.

European Union Member States have agreed to reach climate neutrality by 2050 and increase their level of ambition for 2030. This means that Europe needs to amend many of its climate policies.

According to several climate stakeholders, emission reductions are not at the pace to meet Europe's more ambitious climate goals. 

In April 2021, the European Parliament and the European Council reached a provisional agreement on the first-ever EU Climate Law. But negotiations on whether carbon removals should be counted towards the 2030 target were difficult. The final target sets a cap on removals, effectively separating targets for emission reductions and carbon removals.

The Commission has many other legislative actions in place - the LULUCF Regulation, the Climate Action Regulation, the Emission Trading Directive, and new legislation containing a nature restoration target.

Will these actions lead to an acceleration of carbon removal strategies? Collectively, are they enough to meet the EU’s climate targets?

The EU has adopted ambitious new targets to curb climate change, with a pledge to make them legally binding. Under a new law agreed in 2021 between Member States and the European Parliament, the bloc will cut carbon emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels.

Globally, forests are our lungs and life-support system, covering 30% of the Earth’s land area and hosting 80% of its biodiversity.

Planting billions of trees across the world is one of the cheapest ways of taking CO2 out of the atmosphere to tackle the climate crisis, according to many scientists.

Although planting new trees alone cannot solve climate change, when combined with well-thought out restoration of existing forests and reducing emissions, tree planting can play a significant role.

Set up in 2005, the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) is the world's first international emissions trading system. Since its establishment, the concept has had plenty of detractors.

Now, with the UK set to leave the EU ETS and replace it with something else such as a carbon tax, and the incoming US administration of Joe Biden sounding unenthusiastic about cap-and-trade, EU policymakers are being prompted to think about other ways to price carbon.

The European Commission is proposing to revise and possibly expand the scope of the ETS. They claim the ETS proves that putting a price on carbon is possible and makes economic sense, helping to move further towards a low carbon greener future.

In June 2021, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree “On further measures of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of human rights”, which he said represents an important step in the political modernisation of the Central Asian country.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the beating heart of Europe’s economy, accounting for over 90% of all businesses in the EU and for more than half of its gross domestic product, whilst employing about 100 million EU workers before the pandemic. 

Already struggling with long-standing problems such as regulatory burdens and difficulties to access markets, small businesses have been particularly hard-hit by the ongoing COVID crisis.

From the start-up stage, sustainability is seen as an afterthought for many SMEs, with the focus being on profits, revenue and business growth.

The current motto of the COVID recovery is to ‘build back better’, by placing sustainability and the environment at the forefront of our social and economic recovery. How can SMEs be encouraged and supported to recover strongly, whilst also thinking sustainably?

The way we work, and our societies more broadly, are undergoing fundamental transformations in a context of globalisation, demographic changes, and the rapid advance of technologies.

The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the journey towards digitalisation forcing companies to adapt the skills of their workforces to ensure they can keep up with technological developments and a changing labour market. While the health crisis has deepened some challenges in the labour market, new opportunities present themselves for growth and job creation.

An inclusive digital economy, increased investment, better active labour market policies and making sure nobody is left behind are examples of how to move forward. 

The way we work, and our societies more broadly, are undergoing fundamental transformations in a context of globalisation, demographic changes, and the rapid advance of technologies.

The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the journey towards digitalisation forcing companies to adapt the skills of their workforces to ensure they can keep up with technological developments and a changing labour market. While the health crisis has deepened some challenges in the labour market, new opportunities present themselves for growth and job creation.

An inclusive digital economy, increased investment, better active labour market policies and making sure nobody is left behind are examples of how to move forward. 

One year after its release, the EU Hydrogen Strategy continues to be the centre of debates on where, when and how hydrogen can best support the EU’s energy transition goals. The upcoming Fit for 55 Package and Hydrogen and Gas market package will write the rules to put these ambitions into law. In this context, the recently launched Hydrogen4EU report charts potential pathways for low-carbon and renewable hydrogen to contribute to the EU’s goal of net zero GHG emissions by 2050, looking at the most effective mix of hydrogen technologies to be deployed across different geographies and sectors in Europe (power, transport, industry), considering factors such as cost, speed and feasibility.

An international connectivity summit named "Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities" will take place in Tashkent from July 15-16 as an initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, a double land-locked country.

The summit will see a gathering of leaders from South and Central Asia and aims to increase connectivity between the two regions.

Expanding links between South and Central Asian markets is a decades-old conversation. Tashkent, who ever keener to be seen as a regional player, wants to use the conference as a launchpad for Central Asia’s deeper engagement with South Asia.

With several big transport infrastructure projects in the region being discussed, it is more important than ever that all states agree on their mutually beneficial nature, and that no one country will be left behind. There are geo-political difficulties to be discussed and overcome.