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The United States has a new president with former Vice President Joe Biden securing the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. And the United States being what it is to the rest of the world, the change in leadership will affect the entire world. Even more so in the Philippines, since we are historically, politically, culturally and economically connected to the United States. A Biden presidency will impact many aspects of our lives. Even in our climate change, transport and mobility policies. How is that?
Democrats, more than Republicans, made climate change a major concern, with a staggering 78 percent of this party committing to it as a national priority. In contrast, the Republican Party removed most environmental protection regulations, including relaxing limits on methane and carbon emissions. With both houses of Congress seemingly in the hands of Democrats, that progressive agenda on climate change will definitely be prioritized and accelerated. In addition, the United States is expected to rejoin the global climate change talks, especially the 2015 Paris Agreement. Alternative energy policies that include “clean transit and transportation will be driven more than oil and gas.” It will come as no surprise if we see the passage of an annual zero-emission economy goal in this leadership led by the US Democrats.
Given this scenario, such a movement will not send waves but shock waves to our shores. We hope to see alternative energy, non-fossil fuels, and low-carbon transportation as part of any bilateral discussion between the United States and the Philippines. Trade agreements will drive the reduction of tariffs on these products. As the price of clean vehicles is expected to drop when their use is encouraged in the largest US vehicle market, the transfer costs of these imported vehicles in our country will make it more affordable for Filipino consumers. . And low-carbon vehicles won’t just come from the US If the US market for these vehicles grows, automakers in other countries, such as Japan and Korea, will adjust accordingly. The effect on us will be the same, as these car-producing countries will also push their products in the Philippines. What we will expect then in the next few years is a local market where electric vehicle offerings and the EV ecosystem will be aggressively pressured and prices will drop. We also look forward to this push for a policy change from the foreign institutions we deal with, such as the World Bank, ADB, JICA, KOICA, and others. Transportation policy recommendations from these institutions, along with financial assistance or relaxed loan terms, will focus on transportation systems that are more sustainable.
On the other hand, there is also the possibility, being the Third World country that we are, that we will become the dump for unwanted fossil fuel vehicles, even by these producing countries that will now embrace low carbon vehicles. This is understandable as they will need to offload and maximize opportunities in all remaining global markets for this variant of extinction transport. And the costs of these vehicles will be very affordable and therefore temptingly attractive. But despite its low price, we must not fall into this situation, as the long-term effects of fossil fuels on our health and environmental system will definitely negate the gains made from lower fuel costs.
Therefore, our transportation laws must follow suit. Currently, proposed legislation on the use and ecosystem of electric and low-carbon vehicles is hibernating in both houses of Congress. This must be accelerated and adapted to the global momentum. A Biden presidency will have this effect on us, which is welcome. Especially for a country that, whether we admit it or not, is still linked in some way to the United States. But even more so because, no matter what we say, any push on climate change will benefit us enormously, a country that runs the risk of being devastated by a major disaster if climate change is not avoided.
Thomas “Tim” Orbos was previously with DOTr and MMDA. He has completed his graduate studies at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and is an alumnus of the MIT Sloan School of Management. He can be contacted by email at [email protected]
