For decades, scientists have raised concerns about the dangers of global warming. Although any degree of warming has the potential to disrupt ecosystems and economies, scientific consensus has revealed that a global temperature rise of 1.5C beyond pre-industrial levels or higher would trigger deadly impacts of climate change, such as extreme heat, which, according to the UN, has killed 489,000 people each year since 2000.
In light of these warnings, existing government bodies and international organizations mobilized, and new organizations were created to address the pressing issue of climate change. Working together, several international commitments were established to avoid these planetary tipping points, most notably the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 wherein 196 parties pledged in a legally binding treaty to pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”
In the years since, entire nations have committed to net-zero goals and thousands of companies have established science-based emissions reduction targets. Despite global efforts, it appears exceeding 1.5C global warming may be more than a future inevitability—it is now our current reality. 2024 marked the first year wherein average global temperatures exceeded the 1.5C threshold laid out by the Paris Climate Agreement,
To some, this news might make it seem like all hope is lost, but this could not be further from the truth; in fact, decarbonization has never been more critical, or attainable, than right now.
1.5C is not a magic number.
Although science has made clear that exceeding a 1.5C scenario will have significant consequences for people and the planet, the severity of these impacts will exponentially worsen with every additional tenth of a degree of warming. To put it into perspective, exceeding 1.5C of global warming above pre-industrial levels may stretch our planet to its tipping point, but exceeding 2C degrees may push it beyond repair.
The reality before us makes one thing clear: avoiding further global temperature rise is imperative to preserving the planet and protecting our future. But how do we get there? If the past few decades have been any indication, we know that enacting change, especially at an institutional level, takes time.
Fortunately, the world is not as it was decades ago. Technology was not as advanced, and infrastructure did not exist to support a green transition. We may have a ways to go, but the world has never been better equipped to meet the challenge of climate change than it is today.
Technology as a driver of efficiency.
The time and resource-intensive nature of decarbonization has proven a significant obstacle to meeting global climate goals in the past, with collection of emissions data being collected and calculated manually over the course of months. However, technological advancements have provided new solutions capable of producing a year’s worth of work in mere minutes.
Thanks to the internet and increased digitization, data has never been more accessible than it is right now. By wielding the right software solutions, companies can collect, centralize, and analyze data without needing to extend massive amounts of manpower to do so.
Streamlining Data Collection
Previously, companies may have had to manually input energy consumption data from monthly utility bills into a spreadsheet and apply the correct emissions factor to determine their Scope 2 emissions. Now, carbon management software solutions like Zeigo Activate allow companies to upload their utility bills across dozens of sites at once and calculate the emissions from each one in a matter of milliseconds. In other words, what used to take months, if not years of work, can now be accomplished in minutes.
Accelerating Supply Chain Decarbonization
For most companies, the majority of their carbon footprint lies in their indirect operations, commonly referred to as Scope 3 emissions. Making up a significant portion of Scope 3 emissions, supply chains have been a notoriously challenging area for decarbonization for a variety of reasons, which range from lack of visibility into a company’s own supply chain or an inability to efficiently engage with suppliers to drive emissions reduction.
Software solutions consolidate supply chain decarbonization efforts by centralizing supplier data, identifying laggards, and providing relevant, curated resources to educate and engage suppliers at every step of the decarbonization journey.
Reducing barriers to entry
Unlike traditional decarbonization solutions, which are often accompanied by a team of consultants and a much higher sticker price, purpose-built software solutions that are intuitive enough to be user-led democratize access to decarbonization. No longer are large corporations the only enterprises with the time, money, or resources to reduce their carbon footprint—now, companies of all sizes can access software solutions that ease both the financial and administrative burdens of emissions reduction.
Software only works if we use it.
The agility made possible by technology and software provides everything companies need to measure, report, and reduce emissions in a fraction of the time. These benefits, however, are only made into reality when corporations leverage the tools at their disposal. Carbon management tools that leverage automation, predictive algorithms, and other technologies will be key to rapid and precise decarbonization. By enabling companies to reduce impact better and faster, decarbonization software will be instrumental to minimizing the impacts of climate change—including staying below a 2C scenario.
