World EV & ES Battery Conference

Your Excellency, Mr. Xiao Yaqing, Minister of Industry and Information Technology of China,

Your Excellency, Mr. Zhang Yunming, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology of China,

Your Excellency, Mr. Wang Xiaohui, Secretary of the Communist Party of China Sichuan Provincial Committee,

Distinguished Guests,

I want to thank Mr. Xiao Yaqing and the People’s Government of Sichuan Province for the invitation to speak at the 2022 World EV & ES Battery Conference.

As the United Nations Secretary-General Mr. António Guterres has stressed, the science is clear: in this decade, global greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced by 45%, according to the latest report produced in April 2022 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

In this context, sustainable transport is key to the green energy transition. The development of electric vehicle batteries is therefore critical for transforming the transport sector, which accounts for almost a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. While these batteries are at the heart of the electric vehicle revolution, energy storage batteries are also an important driver of renewable energy expansion, helping to overcome the intermittency of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, deemed the most cost-effective and impactful to mitigate climate change by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

China is a global leader in the innovation and production of electric vehicle batteries. Sichuan Province is a significant production centre for this industry, with the city of Yibin playing a key role. I commend Yibin for its ambition and efforts in promoting these emerging industries.

As a vital manufacturer and distributor of energy storage batteries and solar panels, China can further play a pivotal role in accelerating the promotion of low-carbon technologies to meet our goals under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Such innovations are also critical to realize the pledge set forward by President Xi Jinping at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2020, for China to reach peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

However, challenges remain in ensuring that the electric vehicle revolution is fully aligned with the global environmental agenda. Certain mining and manufacturing processes can have a detrimental impact on land use, biodiversity, and workers in these industries. Negative externalities need to be anticipated with proper foresight and planning, through regular enforcement of international labor and environmental regulations. Other policies, including determining the environmental impacts of used batteries along with regulations governing their safe disposal and recycling, can help minimize potential consequences.

Here, the United Nations Country Team in China works closely to assist the Government of China, in following the release of the new “1+N” climate policy. 40% of all new vehicles in China will be powered by new energy, and green travel will account for all 70% of trips in all cities over 1 million inhabitants in China by 2030.

The United Nations in China also works to support energy storage solutions that will be crucial for our future. In 2021, the Fuel Cell Vehicles Project launched by the United Nations Development Programme in 2018, deployed 3,057 Fuel Cell Vehicles in eight cities, completed 64.7 million kilometres in mileage and reduced emissions by 138 kilotons of carbon dioxide.The project generated 12,000 job opportunities, including 3,972 for female, leveraged 675.5 billion RMB of investment commitment to support the hydrogen and fuel cell value chains, and helped shape five industrial clusters across China.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization continues to support Member States to develop appropriate policies and regulatory frameworks, including the harmonization of standards that promote circularity and the use of energy-efficient industrial and consumer appliances. UNIDO also promotes green hydrogen and energy storage technology, with great potential in South-South and triangular cooperation, advocating an integrated and sustainable value chain approach from mineral extraction to component manufacturing and life-cycle management.

To encourage action across governments, the private sector and civil society, the United Nations Environment Programme have also launched a knowledge product on the Management of Used and Waste Electric Vehicle Batteries, focusing on China’s electric vehicle battery recycling policy.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Secretary-General was clear when he said, “We face a moment of truth. We are fast approaching tipping points that will trigger escalating feedback loops of global heating. But investing in the net zero, climate resilient economy will create feedback loops of its own — virtuous circles of sustainable growth, jobs and opportunity.”

The United Nations in China stands ready to support the people and Government of China and provide such a platform to convene, connect and catalyze partnerships for sustainable development.

I wish you productive discussions at this conference. Thank you.