Climathon Podgorica

November 27, 2021

Daniela Gašparíková, UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro

  • It is a great pleasure to be here with you for the second edition of Climathon Podgorica and to acknowledge your commitment to being the powerful force that drives climate action in the country.
  • Our cities and towns are undergoing a major transformation in how they function, how people and goods get around, and how the city and its services are designed and managed to support such changes. This transformation is partly driven by opportunities new technologies provide, and increasingly by the need to make urban places more liveable for all citizens.
  • To be able to rise to challenges of rapid urbanisation which often goes hand in hand with environmental degradation - we need a new generation of diverse professionals and so-called 'unusual suspects' to spur innovation to create and re-create urban environments that use fewer resources to meet society's changing needs.
  • This year, Climathon comes in the aftermath of the UN climate conference. The global picture after COP-26 remains an imperfect one. On one hand, progress was made in many areas - from sustainable forest management, and a pact on phasing out of coal, to making the global goal on adaptation, and prioritizing youth and gender-responsive action in climate change.
  • On the other, - the world is still far from meeting the ambitious targets of the Paris Agreement. Limiting global warming will depend on rapid and sustained reductions in GHG emissions from human activities such as burning fossil fuels - including in the transport sector.
  • In the coming decades, this sector will be challenged in ways that we cannot always anticipate. That is why I’m pleased to see that transport is the topic of this years’ Climathon - as the sector that records constant growth in GHG emissions in Montenegro and worldwide. Without an increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint - we will not be able to address climate change.
  • The transition to low-emission vehicles is finally taking place, and some of the leading car manufacturers are working together to make all new car sales electric low emission ones by 2040. The countries are following suit - committing to phase out the sale or registration of petrol and diesel cars as well as phasing out fossil fuel subsidies. A sound charging infrastructure is critical to moving away from gas-powered cars. In Montenegro, together with our partners, UNDP supports the growing network of public EV charging stations (now totalling 28 throughout the country). However, we are very much aware that these changes on the side of manufacturers will need to come hand in hand with re-thinking and redesign of urban transportation systems so that they are not built for cars but people.
  • The value of Climathon Podgorica is its dynamic dialogue and the solutions created through a diverse set of experiences and perspectives. They say that every big adventure starts small and I look forward to inspiring ideas from the teams who have both the skillset and mindset to address the urban mobility challenges cities and towns are increasingly facing.
  • This year’s Climathon topic is inviting us all to “Turn Green”. So let’s drive away from pollutants, let’s make public transport work for people and let's reimagine our cities and towns making them more attractive and healthier to live and work in.