Chris Anderson: A year go at global Countdown's virtual launch, Monica Araya, who, among many other things, is a distinguished fellow at the ClimateWorks Foundation, she shared news of a campaign to take on the massive emissions from the world's cars, trucks and buses, etc. And we have an exciting update that we want to share with you. Monica, welcome here to the Countdown stage.
Monica Araya: Thank you. It's so great to be here, and so great to see you in person.
(Applause)
CA: So look, you're up against a vast industry. I mean, there are more than a billion polluting vehicles out there. How on Earth can you attempt system change at that scale?
MA: Well, that is the point that, because of the scale and because of the speed that we need to inject into this transformation, we have to work with all the levers of change simultaneously. That's the key point.
So, cities, we have to engage with cities. That's great. Not enough. We have to engage with politicians. We have to engage with the companies themselves. We have to create business coalitions. And we also have to empower citizens so that they play their act. Ultimately, we know that we have to create political space for stricter regulations for policy. So that is something we are doing right now.
CA: In a sense, these aren't separate initiatives. They all build on each other?
MA: Exactly. So think about an automaker. Maybe we have some in the room. So you're not going to give up your profits just like this. But. If you hear that so many cities start saying no more petrol and diesel cars are going to circulate in our streets; and you hear the politicians saying that life is going to get more difficult for fossil fuels; and you turn on the TV and you see millions of people saying, you know, we’re angry about the products that you’re making; and you look at the demand and you look at companies that are saying, "You know what? We're switching. It's working. We're saving money." Then you have to act.
CA: But how could you take on all these agendas at once?
MA: That's the point. You can't do just one thing, or you can't just expect one single organization to do this. So this is the exciting news. A group of over 70 -- seven, zero -- organizations are coming together, creating a coalition, a global campaign, we call it Drive Electric, and it's already shaking things up.
CA: How so?
MA: Well, the best thing would be to give you one example from this year. So partners of this coalition have done an amazing job persuading the European Commission to propose that after 2035, there will be no more sales of petrol and diesel cars. And this alone was unthinkable two years ago.
And even though I mentioned in Europe, the progress is happening from China to California, everything in between, including the small countries.
CA: So Monica, what’s the overall goal of the Drive Electric campaign?
MA: Well, we have to persuade the world to do exactly what I just mentioned, and actually in some cities and some countries, you can actually go faster. And the point is that we need to set these timelines, make it normal, you know. Say, after this year, say, 2035, we're not going to sell more petrol and diesel cars. And now our campaign works with all segments. So we say, buses 2030, trucks 2040. And if we want to get there, if we say we have to be here by 2035, then the next five years are so critical. So that is what we have to achieve. You know, we have to get to these mark and tipping point.
CA: But just to play devil's advocate there.
MA: I know you like to do that.
CA: Well, you know. MA: It's OK.
CA: Wouldn't some people say that actually were kind of already at that tipping point? And that in a sense, the move to electrification is already inevitable?
MA: Thank you, because that's a very important question. You know, it reflects that we're making progress, and that's a good thing. So somebody could say, well, you know, let's take Tesla, you know, super pioneering, deserves a lot of credit. And yet if we look at our partners, early on, they advocated the very policies to promote early adoption of electric vehicles. So timing is everything. We cannot waste any time. So if you look at the progress we’re making, yes, it’s there, and yet, only one percent of the global stock of cars and trucks is electric right now. So we have to keep that in mind and also, you know, coming from a developing country myself, Costa Rica, as you know, I would not say that in the global South, this is already inevitable. In fact, when you look at some industry projections, you still find that at least some companies see a lot of fossil fuel cars in their future up to 2050.
CA: OK, so if that's still happening in 2050, we're screwed. So the goal of the campaign is basically to accelerate that by how much?
MA: So here's the point. The campaign in the next year is going to accelerate this 20 years, Twenty years, make it happen faster. And we calculate that -- I know you like the numbers --
(CA laughs)
So we calculate that doing that faster will save the planet 160 gigatons of CO2 equivalent.
CA: Wow. 160 billion tons of CO2. On my maths, that's more than three years' worth of humanity's entire emissions, excess emissions. So that's a huge, huge number.
But, look, you're up against industries that are, you know, getting trillions of dollars of revenue annually. How can your coalition possibly take that on?
MA: Well, there is opposition, and the more progress we make, the more the opposition gets activated. So that's why we're saying Drive Electric is the most ambitious coalition and campaign in our space ever undertaken. And what we need to make sure is that we grow it, we grow the partners and we secure funding for what they do because they are playing a key role in their geographies, playing all these levers. So we have to make sure they get the resources to work on the ground.
CA: So you’re raising money, not just for ClimateWorks but for all of these partners.
MA: Yes.
CA: How much is it going to take?
MA: For the next five years, roughly one billion dollars.
CA: I mean, Monica, as you know, when I when first heard that number, I said, “No way.” I mean, you're looking for this from philanthropists. There's no precedent for that. And yet this is kind of where the exciting news comes in, because ... Drive Electric and TED and Countdown and a coalition of visionary donors called the Audacious Project have been working together on this, and just a few weeks ago, something kind of amazing happened. We were able to secure a commitment from them for how much?
MA: 300 million dollars.
(Applause)
CA: This was really exciting, and it builds on a couple hundred million already committed by the founding donors of Drive Electric, so that we're already over halfway to your billion-dollar goal, right? So how is this? How does this feel? Where are you now?
MA: It's electrifying.
(Laughter)
But I mean, I know there partners are here, I can see where they are sitting, from foundations, I’m sure Anthony’s somewhere here. We are so excited because we have come to a point where we know this campaign is unstoppable. And in short, you know, we are going to make sure that all of this gets translated into all these strategies that we have to deploy in the key geographies. And, think about the fact that this is happening just as we move to COP. So that is also very good news.
CA: And everyone in this room can actually play a part. Or indeed, if you're watching online. If you live in a city, please advocate to create and expand a green zone where only electric vehicles are welcome. If you work in government, raise your level of ambition. Ignore the fossilized lobbyists. This is a winning political issue for you.
MA: If you are a citizen, consider not buying an internal-combustion car. And why not share it? Share it with friends, share it in your social media. If you are a creative, if you are an influencer, if you're an artist, help us. We need to find new and better ways of telling the story.
CA: And finally, if you work for a company that makes or uses cars, trucks, motorized vehicles of any kind, do what you can to urge them to get on the right side of history.
I mean, Monica, what do you think, can we actually do this?
MA: Yes, we have to work together, go faster. And let me finish by saying this. This campaign is about changing transportation, with all the benefits that that brings to people and the planet. And yet, it is also about showing how systems change works in practice and making sure it happens everywhere else. So let's do it.
CA: Thank you, Monica. Thank you, everyone. (Applause)
