- Extreme weather events a call for help to accelerate climate action
- Schneider Electric provides solutions to launch climate change initiative
- Schneider Electric has helped customers save 276 million tons of CO2 emissions in Q1 2021
Rueil-Malmaison (France), July 29 2021 – This year’s Earth Overshoot Day has moved almost a month forward, in part due to the world’s economies recovering from 2020 and the growing demand for power fueled by hydrocarbons. Each year, Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity has used all the biological resources that Earth can renew during the entire year. Last year, that date was August 22 – reflecting a 9.3% reduction of humanity’s Ecological Footprint from January 1st to Earth Overshoot Day compared to 2019. This year’s date represents a ten percent increase and sets the Earth back to pre-pandemic levels of resource usage.
In response to this, Schneider Electric and Global Footprint Network (GFN), a research organization that tracks how the world manages natural resources, today launched the “100 Days of Possibility” initiative, which aims to promote solutions that help address climate change and biodiversity loss.
The 100 days referenced in the initiative’s name mark the time left until the start of the 26th annual UN Climate Conference (COP26), when government officials from around the globe will gather in Glasgow, Scotland, to try to agree on effective actions to combat climate change.
The solutions highlighted by the project underpin its key message: That companies, governments and individuals can take action now – and there is no need to wait for decisions made at COP26.
Opportunities and solutions across all sectors will be revealed each day leading up to COP26 on 100DaysofPossibility.org. These will highlight the many ways that everyone can #MoveTheDate of Earth Overshoot Day. Examples include proposals for 100% renewable power grids, smart homes, and food waste reduction.
Schneider Electric, declared the world’s most sustainable corporation by Corporate Knights earlier this year, showed its support of the initiative by submitting six of its climate solutions to the “100 Days” list. Other partners in the project include the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Drawdown Europe.
Examples of the scalable solutions Schneider has contributed is the integration of a microgrid and Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure that enables the transition to zero-emission fleets. This solution is the first of its kind and will be implemented in the Brookfield Smart energy Bus depot in Maryland, US helping #Movethedate of Earth Overshoot Day by reducing carbon emissions by 62 percent among other benefits.
Another contribution is Schneider’s recently signed agreement with the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company, Egypt’s national utility provider to convert the country’s national electric distribution network into a future-ready smart grid which includes the implementation of four control centers that will monitor and optimize Egypt’s electricity network. The project will lead to the Middle East’s first every country-wide smart grid and help Egypt meet its future energy demands while advancing its sustainability strategy.
Both solutions will be highlighted in today’s launch of the “100 days” initiative and Schneider’s remaining four contributions will be showcased over the coming days.
