Published on: 30 November -0001
Over the last few months, you may have heard reports on extreme heatwaves in Pakistan and India. In India, the month of March, was the hottest ever recorded. Pakistan saw nearly 50 °C in temperatures. There was 71% less rain in India and 62% less in Pakistan. Some European countries are expected to see 40 °C in the next few weeks.
Truth is, these are no longer extreme events—as the climate crisis worsens, these events become more and more frequent. This summer would be the coolest summer of the rest of our lives.
And with the heat, the world will surely become harder and harder to live in. According to IPCC, drought-related yield losses have occurred in about 75% of the global harvested area. A global food crisis is at the gates.
All this chaos reaffirms the fact that we have no option but to advance decarbonization efforts worldwide.
A key strategy is ensuring energy efficiency, which the IEA calls as ‘the first fuel’. Only four product groups –electric motors, air conditioners, refrigerators, and lighting – account for 40% of global electricity consumption. The technology is already available to make a difference, while we still explore ways to make carbon sequestration affordable. If we can curb that energy consumption, we can take a monumental step towards a low-carbon, climate resilient world.
These are crucial areas of impact that the business community must take the lead in. Companies must get ahead of the curve and opt to be early movers. Governments are enormous but slower mammoths—businesses possess the agility and adaptiveness that can truly transform these regions.
A net-zero economy is not a fable or a dream. It is an achievable exit route that we must take, or else, the problems of today will appear miniscule compared to the crisis we will be facing tomorrow. It’s this, or nothing. Absolute, apocalyptic nothing. Because we have only one Earth.
Read the full article of Hakan Bulgurlu – CEO of Arcelik, author of A Mountain to Climb and guest on the Humanizing Growth Series
