For the eighth volume of our virtual event Cloud Talk, we spoke to three Gen.T community members on the future of mobility
To meet the climate change goal of two degree celsius, set in the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, we need to dramatically reduce our carbon output. Last year, carbon dioxide emissions actually increased by 2.6 percent. A large contributor is transportation, which makes up more than 24 percent of all greenhouse gases.
At the same time, we still need to travel. So how can we lower carbon emissions without significantly impacting both the economy and our freedom of movement? Our latest edition of Cloud Talk, on the future of mobility, discussed this question and more, bringing in two Gen.T honourees and one member of our Tribe—a panel of industry experts who nominate names for the Gen.T List—to learn how.
Below are some key excerpts from the virtual event, moderated by Gen.T's China editor, Christine Chan.
May Mei, founder of environmental NGO GoalBlue and a 2019 Tribe member, cited the example of Amsterdam, famously one of the world's most bicycle-friendly cities. Rather than impeding the economy, "changing areas into bicycle paths or pedestrian crossings actually helped economic growth,” said Mei.
Gen.T honouree Liu Shutong is the founder of MotionEco, which transforms "gutter oil"—used oil that's collected from places such as restaurant fryers—into aviation fuel. “Biofuel is the future green power," he said, pointing to the fact that it also provides venues with a sustainable funnel to dispose of the oil properly.
Jeffrey Wu, founder of mobility startup WeMo Scooter and a Gen.T honouree, talked about the changes he’s witnessed in the transportation industry since he began his business. Before WeMo Scooter entered the market, the majority of scooters were unused in Taiwan—with just 4 percent active. Wu highlighted the benefits of using scooters as they emit lower levels of carbon emissions. “Now, the concept of scooter-sharing has dramatically changed the idea of transport mobility in Taiwan,” he said. In the future, Wu aims to add a pollution map to the WeMo app so users have a heightened understanding of the pollution levels in different areas of Taiwan.
For more information about this Chinese-language Cloud Talk, visit our WeChat channel. To watch English-language Cloud Talks, visit our Events page.