125. The representative of the Republic of Korea reminded WP.29 about the unprecedented climate crisis and the need for global action to reach carbon neutrality. She updated WP.29 about actions done in the Republic of Korea, such as increased deployment of electric vehicle charging stations, or safety standards specifically for green cars, among others. She explained that the Korean New Car Assessment Program is going to launch a mid-to-ling term R&D project funded by the government budget in order to develop Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of greenhouse gas emission from vehicles as well as energy efficiency performance and vehicle interior air quality. She also informed WP.29 that the Republic of Korea has been elected as co-chair to the IWG on Automotive-Life Cycle Assessment (A-LCA) during its first meeting that took place from 26-28 October 2022 in Okinawa, Japan. She thanked WP.29 for the interest and anticipated support to this activity.

126. The representative of Japan wished to express his support to the efforts undertaken by the Republic of Korea to lower the carbon footprint of vehicles and also showed his satisfaction with the new IWG on A-LCA co-chaired with the Republic of Korea to deliver on a globally harmonized approach to determine the carbon impact of vehicles.

127. The representative of the United States of America expressed his appreciation to the leadership role taken by Japan and the Republic of Korea on this timely issue, also recognizing the challenges surrounding the LCA topic, being in his view probably one of the most difficult topic undertaken by GRPE until now.

128. The representative of OICA supported all statements made. He informed WP.29 that OICA recently adopted a Position Paper on Carbon Neutrality by 2050, including policy recommendations. He highlighted that in his view, not only the vehicle side should be considered, but also several other factors, such as the energy supply, the material extraction and supply chain, …. He also added that each country specific cases should be considered, as in his view, a “one size fits all” approach would not be the most efficient method to reach carbon neutrality. He also strongly supported the need for a LCA but acknowledged the difficulty of the topic and concurred with the statement from the US.

129. The Chair of GRPE highlighted his satisfaction about the introduction of this topic in GRPE and the effort from Japan and the Republic of Korea to set-up the IWG on A-LCA. He agreed that a holistic view would be important to mitigate the climate impact of the transport sector. He underlined that WP.29 will be regularly updated on the progress of this activity, also agreeing that the topic was complex and that many activities on this field were already undertaken across the globe.

130. The Chair thanked the contribution from Korea and the support from the delegations who took the floor, showing the strong support and interest from WP.29 on this topic.