The Mission Possible: Coalition launched to help decarbonize transport, heavy industry

The Mission Possible Partnership, a new coalition that aims to accelerate the decarbonization of global industries representing 30% of global emissions, was launched today at the Davos Agenda.

As informed, the coalition aims to accelerate several pathways for decarbonizing heavy industry and transport by unifying the critical actors needed to influence and enable industry transformation at speed and scale.

It is run by the Energy Transitions Commission, Rocky Mountain Institute, the We Mean Business coalition, and the World Economic Forum.

The partnership builds on the success of the Mission Possible Platform, which was launched at the United Nations Secretary General’s Climate Action Summit in 2019, and has grown from 30 companies in 2019 to 400 — all committed to working on concrete actions towards net-zero.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) will be a strategic partner for the partnership, central to engagement with governments and bringing to bear its expertise on modeling and technology roadmaps.

The coalition is expected to help more industries mobilize resources, align across a greater number of organizations, and accelerate the Race to Zero. This initiative will help carbon-intensive sectors reach their targets and bring in the systemic change needed to succeed by providing a clear path to net zero emissions.

“The number of country commitments to net-zero emissions targets by 2050 has grown during 2020 and is significant,” Christoph Wolff, Head of Mobility, World Economic Forum, commented.

“Public private cooperation across the transport and heavy industry sectors is crucial for the next phrase of action. The launch of the Mission Possible Partnership at the Davos Agenda will accelerate these efforts in the run-up to COP26 in November.”

“As we move into the decade of delivery, we must not only grow the number of actors committed to a resilient, zero carbon future, we must foster the radical collaboration needed to drive transformational change in every sector of the economy,” Nigel Topping, UK High-Level Champion, COP26, said.

“To achieve these goals requires truly transformational change, and demands leadership and action from across each sector. We are thrilled to be working hand in hand with the Mission Possible Partnership to drive this work forward in seven of the heaviest emitting sectors of the economy.”

Specifically, the partnership is centred on the idea that, while the Paris Agreement lays the groundwork for global cooperation, its focus on national targets will not generate the plans and solutions necessary to achieve efficient and effective transition strategies for global industries on its own. The most important missing piece of the global climate action architecture is an effort by sectors, complementing country-centric strategies with action from global industries to unlock technology and energy transformation. This is particularly important for heavy emitting industries.

The Mission Possible Partnership will be the delivery mechanism for Race to Zero Breakthroughs in hard-to-abate sectors. These are specific near-term tipping points for each sector of the global economy in the race to net zero emissions, being launched by COP26 President Alok Sharma and US Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry as part of the Davos Agenda.

In late 2021, the partnership will aim to showcase net-zero agreement breakthroughs in shipping, aviation, and steel. Within three years, it plans to help companies complete climate action agreements in these sectors as well as trucking, chemicals, cement, and aluminium.

Together, these seven sectors comprise 30 percent of global emissions. Within five years, the partnership aims for clear shifts in investment patterns across the seven sectors and will be pursuing net-zero climate action agreements in additional sectors, including potentially food and agriculture.

One of the seven platforms under formation is the Getting to Zero Coalition, spearheaded by the Global Maritime Forum in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Friends of Ocean Action.

To date, 157 companies to date are engaged to ensure the viability of zero-emission vessels along deep-sea trade routes by 2030 and build the infrastructure for scalable zero-carbon maritime energy.