In recognition of Delhi’s landmark Electric Vehicle (EV) policy which is being hailed as a global benchmark, Delhi government has been invited to present at the prestigious ‘Race to Zero Dialogues: Launching the global race to zero emission mobility’ organised by the Climate Group in collaboration with the UN High-Level Climate Champions and the UK COP26 Presidency.

Jasmine Shah, Vice Chairperson, Dialogue and Development Commission, will represent the Delhi government at the session “Governments leading the way” on November 11 to share experiences on how governments can effectively lead the transition to zero emission vehicles.

The Race to Zero Dialogues is a series of virtual dialogues across the world in November to bring cities and states, businesses, civil society together to drive forward the race to net-zero. The dialogues invite leaders committed to sustainable solutions to discuss areas including transport, nature, and energy to maintain momentum on tackling climate change on a global scale.

Delhi was the only Indian city and among four global cities chosen by the organisers to showcase their experiences at this prestigious event by the Climate Group.

Shot in the arm

The invitation is recognition of how Delhi is being seen globally a leading voice in India on action to accelerate zero emission vehicles and is setting an example to the Under2 Coalition and others with bold and ambitious action.

The Climate Group, a globally renowned non-profit organisation working on climate action, also acts as the Secretariat to the Under2 Coalition, a group of more than 200 ambitious State and regional governments committed to keeping global temperature rises to under 2°C.

Jasmine Shah said, “It’s a privilege for Delhi government to be invited at the prestigious Race to Zero Dialogues to share its experiences and vision on transition to zero emission vehicles. It is because of the bold and ambitious vision of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on pollution and specifically electric vehicles, that Delhi’s policy is being hailed as an example globally. We hope to collaborate, learn and inspire cities and regions across India and globally to adopt equally ambitious policies to reduce air pollution and take action on climate change.”

What the EV policy says

Delhi’s leadership on climate action through an ambitious EV policy has also been featured in a global guide ‘Regions Take Action: The benefits of major climate policies’ that was published recently by the Climate Group and the Rocky Mountain Institute. The guide has select case studies from cities doing transformative work that is leading the way into the new climate economy. It acknowledges that the actions they have taken are widely applicable to many other governments. These actions aren’t just examples of what the leaders did; they are blueprints for what many regions should do now.

Citing the example of Delhi, the global guide said, “The Delhi EV Policy, passed in December 2019 and enacted in August 2020, is arguably the most comprehensive subnational policy of its kind. With a strong focus on demand creation, the policy calls for 25 per cent of all new vehicles to be battery operated by 2024. This target is estimated to amount to 500,000 EVs and 4.82 million tons in CO2 emissions savings”.

While many subnational EV policies around the world have chosen to focus on four-wheeled personal vehicles, Delhi’s policy covers a wide array of vehicle types, with incentives for electric two-wheelers; shared transport vehicles, such as three-wheelers and buses; as well as goods carriers and freight vehicles.

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