France and Singapore: towards achieving sustainable mobility

EVERY year on April 22, Earth Day reminds us of the urgent need to act towards the protection of the planet. Transport is what connects us to each other and to the rest of the world. While transport plays a vital role in society and the economy, our daily travels also harm the planet. Transport is one of the world's biggest sources of greenhouse gases, with emissions rising every year. The sector accounts for about 14 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and 24 per cent of global CO2 emissions come from the combustion of energy for transport.

This is why reducing the adverse effects of transport is an important policy goal and cooperation between countries is key to achieving it. One of the greatest environmental challenges we face today lies in achieving sustainable mobility.

Both in France and Singapore, the main strands of activity are shifting transport to the least polluting and most efficient transportation modes, deploying more sustainable transport technology, fuels and infrastructure, and ensuring that transport prices fully reflect adverse environment and health impacts.

In France, the national low-carbon strategy aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 31 per cent by 2030, and to be carbon neutral by 2050 (except for domestic air transport).

Singapore has committed to reducing its carbon intensity by 36 per cent by 2030. In its Green Plan 2030, it seeks to drastically reduce energy consumption in the transport sector by setting a target for new car and taxi registrations to be cleaner energy from 2030.

France and Singapore share a strong commitment to promoting and developing digital and smart infrastructures and focusing on environmental sustainability. This manifests itself in all modes of transportation: air travel, maritime navigation and urban transportation.

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The environmental cost of air travel is important and the current restrictions have reminded us of the impact of aviation on earth. By combining our strengths, we can help create a more sustainable future for air travel. The adoption of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, and the Internet of Things has accelerated in the past few years across many sectors, including in aerospace.

French technology giant Thales Group and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) saw the need to leverage co-innovation to accelerate the adoption of advanced technologies in aviation by creating a common "Air Lab". On April 20, both parties signed a statement of intent to jointly research on technologies that can make the future of flying greener by reducing CO2 carbon emissions while aligning with the International Civil Aviation Organization's aspirations for the sector to improve fuel efficiency.

The use of more sustainable fuels is also an important element of the decarbonisation strategy of the maritime industry both in Singapore and in France. As the shipping industry explores alternative zero-carbon fuels, liquefied natural gas (LNG) could be a viable transitional fuel. The first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation with simultaneous cargo operations was done in Singapore with French partners. It marks another major milestone in the challenge of tackling climate change.

On April 19, 2021, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the French Directorate of Maritime Affairs and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was signed on the sidelines of Singapore Maritime Week. This MOU will help to develop synergies in forefront areas in the maritime field such as digital innovation, digitalisation and sustainability, in particular by fostering industrial and institutional partnerships. It is a major step forward for the maritime cooperation between France and Singapore as it will encourage efforts to innovate through concrete projects between our two maritime ecosystems.

Sustainable urban mobility requires a mindset change: developing effective strategies where private transport gives way to more efficient modes of public transport, and creating solutions that ensure the flow of people, goods and services while reducing their mark on the environment. Partnerships between major Singaporean and French companies on the development of clean energy solutions for electric vehicles are important steps taken in this direction. For instance, EDF and Engie, two of the world's leading French energy companies, have both committed to the deployment of electromobility in Singapore.

France and Singapore are also willing to share experiences in the field of sustainable transport, and are determined to intensify institutional exchanges and economic cooperation. The high-quality relationships between our companies on topics related to urban transports, smart and sustainable mobility, will allow our two countries to benefit from transport solutions that meet the best international designing, operating, and maintenance and service standards.

Amid the current pandemic, transport cooperation is also key to resuming real human interactions which are crucial in furthering collaborations between countries and in facilitating international discussions. France is continuously looking for ways for new partnership with Singapore and our transport cooperation is a demonstration of the strong relations both countries share.

• The writer is Ambassador of France to Singapore.