What the IPCC Climate Report Means for Global Industries

UN's IPCC landmark climate change report warns of the need for fast, deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. As a global leader in the delivery of thermal energy efficiency solutions for several Fortune 500 brands, we discuss what this means for global industries. 

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The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned we are perilously close to the 1.5°C danger limit agreed in the Paris climate deal. In exceeding these levels, the impact of climate change will reach catastrophic levels unseen for two million years. The heatwave in Canada and Greece, extreme flooding in Europe, China and India, and fires in the United States and Europe are merely the beginning. 

But while human influence has been linked to these extreme occurrences, consumers consider organizations to be more responsible for protecting the environment than even Government or themselves. This, together with the high-profile nature of net-zero, is intensifying pressures on global industries to decarbonize their supply chains, and failure to react to this reality will ultimately hit their bottom lines. 
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But achieving the end goal of net zero relies on technologies, infrastructure, economics and policy at national and regional level which is uncertain, and energy and sustainability professionals responsible for implementing these goals are at real risk of paralysis of decision making whilst waiting for clarity of future scenarios. 

Those responsible for delivering on corporate sustainability targets can expect greater remit than ever before but should anticipate intense scrutiny. It's imperative that short-term projects achieve the stated savings within the agreed project budgets, to ensure future projects are perceived as credible and therefore net zero can be realized.  

“The goal of net zero needs to be seen as a journey. What is clear is that all scenarios will see a significant increase in costs for heat. Reductions in carbon emissions is the first stage of this journey, that can be achieved through the more efficient use of energy using proven technologies that will provide an attractive return on investment.” says Technical Director, Sam Mawby. 

“Taking a plantwide view of heat usage across your own processes, it is possible to identify projects using proven technologies that can deliver significant carbon savings with an attractive ROI that will deliver carbon and costs savings for years to come.” 

Main Takeaways 

• Industries need to react to amounting pressures from end consumers  

• Consider which projects can be implemented immediately to reduce carbon emissions 
• The success of short-term projects will have a greater impact on future projects and the end contribution to net zero 
• The focus should be on proven technologies that provide guaranteed savings and ROI 
• Industries should continue to plan for longer-term net zero goals as technologies, infrastructure, economics, and policy become clearer