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Milan, Turin, Genova and Naples have joined Rome, Bologna and Florence in signing the COP26 declaration on accelerating the transition to 100% zero emission cars and vans.
These seven cities account for 17% of the 42 million cars currently on the road across Italy. The world is going further and faster to decarbonise road transport, and new commitments in Italy are highlighting this global shift.
Bolstering Italy's energy transition
Representatives from these new signatories gathered for an in-person signing in the Italian capital today at Envision Racing’s garage ahead of the 2022 Rome E-Prix.
Each signatory has committed to working towards all sales of new cars and vans being zero emission by no later than 2035. Not only will this commitment reduce global CO2 emissions, but it will also benefit all of society by cleaning up the air that we breathe, creating job opportunities and economic growth, supporting in balancing our grid and keeping our shared Paris goals in reach.
Envision Racing x COP26
Last year, Envision Racing worked closely with the UK COP26 Presidency to raise awareness of the Summit and to highlight the urgent need to transition to clean mobility. In 2022, the partnership will continue with Envision supporting the work behind the COP26 declaration on ZEVs through a series of events and races across the year.
Envision Racing’s Managing Director and CTO, Sylvain Filippi said: “This announcement is an exciting step in the journey to global zero emission transport - and a significant result from our partnership with COP26.
"Formula E has a unique ability to help fast-track the move to e-mobility. Not only are we pushing battery and vehicle technology forwards, we are also able to showcase the true potential of electric vehicles to audiences across the world.
"With road transport responsible for the majority of Italy’s emissions, this announcement marks huge progress towards transitioning to clean mobility and improving air quality across the country. We look forward to celebrating with our fans at the race in Rome this weekend.”
British Ambassador to Italy, Ed Llewellyn, added: ‘After the year of presidencies, where Italy and the UK worked closely to raise the level of ambition to tackle the climate change crisis, it is great to see so many Italian cities committing to such a high level of ambition. In the UK we are also committed to ensuring all new car and van sales are fully zero emissions by 2035’.
"Transport is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Italy, with road transport contributing to the majority of Italy’s transport emissions. These new commitments will support in reducing emissions across Italy and improve quality of air in urban areas, which is frequently a cause of concern in major Italian cities."
Welcoming the news Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan and C40 Cities Vice-Chair said: "The shift towards zero emission mobility is a vital component of the transition that cities around the world are undertaking to respond to the climate crisis as well as to improve the health of their citizens.
"The city of Milan is committed to clean transport – from procuring zero-emission buses, to progressively banning the most polluting engines – and invests in sustainable public transport."
Naples mayor Gaetano Manfredi said: "Its Naples' great ambition is to make the city less and less dependent on private vehicle transport, in favour of public transport and cycling, to meet the mobility needs of the population, but always with a view to limiting energy consumption and increasing transport and road safety."