Stage 2 PERONNE – ROUBAIX. ENERGY TRANSITION

In our second stage of Moving for Climate NOW we have reached Roubaix, endpoint of the renowned bicycle road race Paris-Roubaix. For the last 25 km, of our 111 km journey, we have followed actual race track with its challenging cobblestones. The journey has mostly taken place in flat and rural land, making the ride quite peaceful and pleasant.

Our discussion has been focused on the importance to change our energy model, which is key for achieving a sustainable energy model, which contributes with two thirds of the total greenhouse-gas emissions.

It is urgent to take action to accelerate this transition and technological progress is making it easier. Decarbonising energy requires action in three areas 1) efficiency 2) electrification and 3) decarbonising the power sector with clean energies.

The impressive cost reduction in renewable power generation technologies, wind and solar, and batteries, which will make electric vehicles more competitive than conventional vehicles in a few years, reveal that these changes are desirable not only from an environmental point of view but they create a large economic opportunity which shall not be wasted. Those countries that first realise this opportunity will additionally align their economies with the main global tendency to fight against climate change.

Clean and sustainable energy has an additional benefit: reduction of air pollution. Urban citizens are very exposed to local pollution, since cities accumulate the largest concentration of pollutants and therefore, the largest impacts on health. Today, almost all citizens in Europe are above the limits established by the World Health Organisation, so it is urgent to implement corrective measures.

For this reason, cities worldwide are increasingly acting to have clean streets without pollution or CO2. And they do it individually or through important organisations. Moving for Climate NOW calls for the importance of having clean energy and clean air to breathe in cities. We pedal in this long route to show the viability of this mode of transport, healthy and environmentally friendly.

Our Voices

“Achieving more sustainable mobility based on sustainable modes of transport and the use of alternative fuels is key to the achievement of climate objectives and it also has other co-benefits such as reducing air pollution and improving health” Guillermo Martínez. OECC
 “Decarbonizing the energy sector will require of course renewable energies and energy efficiency. But the absolutely first priority is reducing the amount of energy we use”. Pedro Linares. Universidad de Comillas
 ‘Energy efficiency is inextricably linked to climate and yet we don’t allocate nearly enough of our attention and resources to it– nearly half of the needed GHG emission reductions in the energy sector to reach the Paris Agreement goals are meant to come from energy efficiency! For that, significant scale up of investments and action is needed.’ Ailin Huang IPEEC
 “The electric vehicle is an essential axis of the goals for transport decarbonisation”. Arturo Pérez de Lucía. AEDIVE
 “Acting on climate has huge co-benefits for other SDG goals such as air pollution and energy access” Luis Munuera, International Energy Agency

 

More information and quotes

Energy sector represents two thirds of global GHG emissions.
IEA scenarios show renewables and energy efficiency get us three forths of the way towards 20C.
55% of total population lives in cities, consume 64% of primary energy and contribute 70% of all CO2 emissions.

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