OUTsight/ No More Cars

Manila, 1 November 2017 — As Singapore caps its cars, Ng Lee Huat holds dreams together in his electrically-powered BYD taxi. How do you lead for sustainability?

No more cars—Singapore has decided to stop increasing the number of cars on its roads by February 2018, as part of its strategies to be a global leader in urban renewal.

Meanwhile, Paris has decided to phase out diesel cars by the time it hosts the Olympics in 2024, and to ban both petrol and diesel-fueled cars from the city by 2030. 

The race to switch to electric vehicles is on.

In a world that is currently beset by a surge of populist leadership arguing for protectionism, it looks to me as if common sense is actually prevailing, and making headway with healthy changes at an unprecedented rate.

City leaders are, increasingly, showing the way towards sustainability, and they are supported by a new generation of policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs, and pension fund managers who are also embracing sustainability criteria to guide their decisions.

Meanwhile, China's leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to innovation for sustainability as they embark on their next 5-year period, and even McKinsey's storyline is turning from Why to Why Not in discovering how investing in sustainability is becoming a new normal. 

Clearly, notwithstanding all the noise in the media, this a good time to move forward with leadership for sustainability. How is that affecting your work, and what can you do make more changes happen?

In Singapore, the company that Mr. Ng drives for is called HDT or Hold Dreams Together. It uses electrically-powered BYD cars that are designed and made in China. In 2016, BYD was reported to be the world's top-selling plug-in electric car manufacturer, for the second year running. 

Another example of leadership for change, in a good direction.