World Bank Operations Manager Dandan Chen on Wednesday said Bangladesh must pick its own roadmap for electric vehicles transition, beginning with which segments of e-mobility it wants to focus on.
“We believe that the most significant opportunities lie in the two or three wheeler and public transport sectors, as they make economic sense and serve the majority,” she said while attending a workshop on accelerating the transition to electric mobility in public transport across South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges of Bangladesh and the World Bank held the workshop.
The workshop's main objectives were to create awareness of electric vehicle development in the sub-region and Bangladesh, enhance the capacity of policymakers, encourage regional cooperation mechanism on low carbon transport, and to facilitate discussions on policy recommendations and for accelerating the transition to electric mobility of public transport in Bangladesh.
With the transport sector responsible for approximately 25% of global CO2 emissions, decarbonization is crucial to achieve the Paris Agreement's objectives of limiting global warming to well below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels.
Electric vehicles (EVs) present a viable solution to significantly reduce emissions in cities and reduce reliance on fossil fuel imports as well.
The transport sector plays a critical role in driving economic growth, but it is also the largest consumer of petroleum products in Bangladesh, accounting for 63% of consumption.
Unfortunately, the sector is also responsible for 15% of the country's total emissions, making it the second-highest domestic source of energy-related emissions and one of the fastest-growing in the region.
It is crucial to decarbonize the transportation sector in order to advance Bangladesh's sustainable development objectives, steer the country towards a more eco-friendly path, and enhance access to employment and services, as emphasized in the World Bank's Country Climate and Development Report.
