Celebrating the first moon landing provided a reminder that we have only one Earth. Our blue planet is situated in one of the Milky Way’s spiral arms, made up of billions of stars and planets, far from the centre of the galaxy.
Despite all our astronomical investments, we are yet to find another water-laden planet like it anywhere in the universe, but that isn’t preventing us from depleting its offerings as if there is a conga line of replacements.
Monday, July 29, marks the day that we will have consumed more resources than our planet has the capacity to regenerate over an entire calendar year.
Dubbed Earth Overshoot Day, this date has rolled backwards from December 31 since 1970, when we first began living beyond our biological needs – and, over the past 20 years, this marker has accelerated backwards three months.
It means we are using biological resources 1.75 times faster than nature can renew them.
One-planet compatibility requires moving the date of Earth Overshoot back to December 31 or beyond. To shift the date, we need to ask, what are we doing to put ourselves in this position?
According to credible calculations by the Global Footprint Network, the main culprits are fossil fuels, inefficient energy use, deforestation, depletion of soils and water and inappropriate resource extraction.
There is an urgent imperative for business and government to work together. We can all contribute by making clear commitments to environmental targets, more efficient use of energy, quicker adoption of renewables, significant cuts to waste and pollution and creating a circular economy.
Decarbonising the economy is the most powerful lever to reduce our abuse of the world’s resources. Cutting global carbon emissions in half would move the overshoot date by three months.
We need to create microgrids, self-contained electricity networks powered by renewables, that can enable companies, university campuses, towns, airports, health districts and residential precincts to reduce their carbon footprint, reduce energy bills and even sell excess power back to the grid.
There is an opportunity for Australian businesses and government to make microgrids a national focus and exportable service. This month’s announcement of the establishment of the International Microgrid Association in Perth is a positive first step.
Many companies want to get on with repairing the situation, as found by a survey of 250 large companies across the Pacific by the research firm Greenbiz – it found half had, or are planning, renewable energy projects.
Just a third have implemented or are actively planning to use energy storage, microgrids or combined heat and power. Australia’s federal and state governments are providing some grants for microgrid projects, but more needs to be done.
The fourth industrial revolution and internet of things present opportunities to unlock process innovations that will develop sustainable, environmentally friendly materials, decarbonise energy, tap digital innovation for doing more with less, and extend the life cycle of goods within a "zero waste to landfill" framework.
We can also address the high inefficiency of our buildings by simply equipping existing buildings and industry infrastructure with available energy management and renewable energy technologies and software, moving Earth Overshoot Day by at least 21 days.
These technologies will deliver substantial power bill savings and can be as easy as putting facilities and lighting in idle mode when rooms are unoccupied, sensors to better control temperature, optimising heating by occupancy level, along with automated monitoring of energy use across production process.
In factories, utility networks, plants and resource sites, low cost connection of machinery enabling data collecting with a layer of real-time advisory devices are massively underused. Better data collection and reporting would highlight efficiencies that could reduce carbon emissions and minimise waste. Our experience indicates average energy savings of 23 per cent can be achieved.
Just as individuals should commit to sustainable lifestyles, companies must make public commitments to sustainability – already 550 corporations worldwide have committed to rigorous science-based targets to combat greenhouse gas emissions. Schneider Electric has vowed to be powered by 80 per cent renewable electricity next year and reach carbon neutrality by 2030.
BHP’s announcement last week that it would not only reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions, but call on all users of its products to do the same is another major step forward to address these existential risks.
To promote the many low-cost solutions now available the Solar Impulse Foundation is selecting and endorsing 1000 solutions that contribute to achieving clean water, affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities, responsible consumption and demonstrate technical feasibility, environmental benefits and profitability.
To date, 179 solutions have received the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution label, including biodegradable packaging made from milk protein, a solar-powered water purification plant, an enzyme-based plastic recycling technology and a zero-waste construction process.
Two essential questions provide a simple compass to one-planet prosperity in our daily decisions as an individual, organisation, government or company. “Do I operate within one-planet constraints?” and “Do my actions help move us out of ecological overshoot?” The resounding answer to both must be yes.
Gareth O’Reilly is Pacific zone president of Schneider Electric, which is headquartered in Rueil-Malmaison, France.