Julia Pallé, Formula E Vice President for Sustainability, talks about COP 28 and the future of the sport

paletteCourtesy of Formula E

Formula E’s 2024 racing calendar begins in Mexico City in just over 50 days, and Julia Pallé – Vice President of Sustainability – is working hard behind the scenes to ensure motorsport’s first electric vehicle competition continues to be a leader in sustainability. Launched in 2014, Formula E’s mission is to show that the mix of elite racing and sustainable mobility is entertaining and can pave the way for “a better, cleaner future.” Before the tenth season of Formula E begins – a milestone for the innovative EV championship – Pallé has one more stop to make: a trip to the 28th edition of the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP 28). Formula E’s vice president of sustainability wants to ensure the racing championship and the sport in general has a voice in the global debate on climate change.

A woman in motorsport

Julia grew up in France near the headquarters of the multinational tire manufacturer Michelin. She studied business administration and sustainability and prepared for a career in industry. She admits that she didn’t grow up interested in cars or sports and certainly didn’t imagine a career in this sector. However, during her postgraduate studies at the Grenoble School of Management, she accepted a position at Michelin as a Sustainability in Motorsport Executive. When Julia accepted the position, it became clear to her that motorsport had to make a decisive contribution to sustainability. Furthermore, she understood the personal opportunities that the new position offered her as a woman in a male-dominated industry.

Julia honed her skills at Michelin until she made the jump to the up-and-coming Formula E championship in 2014. As one of the few women in the paddock, she worked hard to convince her colleagues that environmental sustainability was crucial in (motor)sport and watched as her expertise opened doors and helped her rise in the rankings. She says she has found ways to harness the industry’s masculine energy during her more than a decade in Formula E, stressing that motorsport is an open-minded environment if you have expertise. It boasts numerous achievements, including “the certification of the championship to ISO 20121 (international standard for sustainable events), making Formula E the first motorsport ever to achieve such certification.”

The coming season brings with it extra excitement as the championship celebrates its tenth anniversary. Julia, who raced in Formula E for all ten seasons, believes it will be an emotional year, but as a scientist she is already looking at top speeds (320km/h) and debating the use of lithium-ion or solid-state batteries. It expects this season’s new technology and reduction in battery anxiety to improve competition on the track and is pleased to announce that the next generation of vehicles (Gen 4) is already in development.

the 2018-2019 Formula E season. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)AFP via Getty Images

The future of sport

Over the past decade, Formula E has sought to take the sport down a greener path, with a particular focus on electric vehicle technology and air quality. Unlike other sports, racing has environmental sustainability embedded in its founding principles, giving it credibility and a competitive advantage in the face of accelerating climate change. Pallé emphasizes that sustainability is not a strategy for Formula E, but part of the competitive culture, emphasizing: “It is part of our overall decision-making.”

After calculating its carbon footprint, Formula E found that 75% of its emissions came from travel to racing locations. Now the championship is using block scheduling to create a calendar that limits extensive travel. In addition, Formula E uses sea freight where possible to reduce additional emissions from long-haul air travel. After the preseason, all racing materials for opening day will be shipped by sea to Mexico.

With an eye on further emissions reductions, the motorsport competition is using biofuels for transportation and is in discussions with the aviation industry about sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which Julia says is a promising market that needs regulation and will have a pilot program soon.” The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that SAF “could contribute 65% of the reduction in emissions that aviation needs to reach net zero by 2050,” although, as noted in the Seattle Times, researchers remain skeptical about the viability of SAF and its potential toxicity and wonder whether its use will actually lead to an increase in air traffic and therefore overall emissions.

In some ways it is counter-intuitive that a motor sport is at the forefront of the sustainability of the sports sector. Research shows that cars – and poor transport networks – are driving up emissions, with the sector responsible for 30% of global emissions. However, Julia insists that automobile transportation can play a role in the climate solution. She notes that people’s personal relationship with cars – similar to the relationship between humans and phones – makes (electrified) cars “a very powerful tool for inspiring a more sustainable lifestyle.”

As climate change accelerates, other sports must now find ways to reduce emissions and adapt to the new climate reality. Winter sports have already had to change competition dates, and there is a growing coalition of winter sports enthusiasts (Protect Our Winters) advocating for greater environmental protection. Additionally, World Athletics is working on air quality in stadiums and Julia believes other sports should work more closely with the community to create positive environmental change. In her words: “Take care of them and they will take care of the planet.”

Pallé relies on data. She believes technology can “solve most of the problems caused by climate” and sees sport as a key industry that should invest in, support and showcase new technologies. It supports advances in train and aircraft technology and recognizes their role in global sports logistics. Her position is contradicted by some researchers and practitioners who advocate exclusively for nature-based solutions to combat climate change, such as agroforestry, forest protection and reforestation, and wetland restoration.

Activist holds a poster against the takeover of COP28 by oil companies. (Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

UN Sports for Climate Action Framework and COP 28

As the global community pushes for substantive climate action, the United Nations has launched the Sports for Climate Action Framework, in which signatory parties commit to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2040. Unfortunately, Pallé admits that “ “There are two speeds in the framework,” referring to organizations that have signed up and are actively reducing emissions and those that have simply signed up. Nevertheless, Julia remains optimistic and is encouraged to see that some sports are committed to climate protection while remaining profitable.

Part of the effort to further climate action in sport is to work with other sectors. That’s why Julia is taking part in the COP for the fourth time with the Formula E team. In her opinion, the COP experience is always the same, but “it is a must in the climate calendar” because it brings everyone to the same table. Such conferences provide the platform for substantive climate action, but recent editions have led to frustration and disappointment over the lack of binding commitments to curb emissions and cut funding for the oil and gas sector.

Pallé understands the public frustration and says it stems from the fact that “diplomacy requires compromise.” This frustration was compounded by the location and president of this year’s conference: The United Arab Emirates and Dr. Sultan Al Jaber – CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

Julia says it’s entirely understandable that the public is confused and angered by the paradoxical nature of things, but unlike many environmentalists, academics, progressives and sustainability experts, she insists it could be beneficial to shut down the fossil fuel industry Having fuel at the table. She notes that it could still offer something and that it has the financial resources to support the transition to green energy, although there is public skepticism that this will be the case. Still, she believes that “excluding people means they won’t change,” so she prefers to sit down and talk to them.

While Pallé admits that the COP is often all nice talk but limited action, she is pleased to be taking part and says it will help legitimize the role of electric vehicles in the pursuit of sustainability and show that they and The future does not belong to hydrogen or biofuels.

It is unclear what will become of Julia’s trip to COP 28 or who will win the next Formula E championship. What is clear, however, is that Formula E’s Vice President of Sustainability sees collaboration and technology as the way to overcome climate change. Only time will tell if she is right.

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I am an international relations expert and have experience working and writing about football. I have trained competitively in the US and Spain and done volunteer coaching in South America. I am currently a research analyst for London Politica covering geopolitical affairs and a freelance writer writing for Glory Magazine, an independent UK-based football and travel magazine. I also volunteer for the sports sustainability organization Fossil Free Football. My master’s thesis on the use of football as a soft power tool was published in the Aga Khan Online Paper Series in 2022. Since then, I have had work published by various organizations on the subject of football and sustainability. I live on the east coast of the USA, but have close ties to Spain and European soccer, having lived and worked there.

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