This one measure can get the world back on track to meet its climate targets
The world’s greatest potential is waiting to be unleashed. It can help us get our planet back on track and to achieve the Paris Agreement – keeping the global temperature rise well below 2°C.
It is all about doing more with less. Our greatest energy source is the energy we do not use. Energy efficiency is the one resource that every country possesses in abundance and it is the quickest and least costly way of addressing energy security, environmental and economic challenges. We have a climate-friendly, trillion-dollar opportunity waiting to be unlocked. Unfortunately, we see that global energy efficiency is slowing down while growth in overall energy demand intensifies.
Urbanization across the globe puts our available resources under pressure and we need to carefully plan to ensure that we have enough resources for the world’s expanding population. We cannot overcome these global challenges without an increased focus on energy efficiency.
Energy efficiency is not a question of technology. It is a question of mindset, smart thinking, governance and cost-effective solutions. The solutions exist and can be adopted immediately.
Companies and cities turn talk into action
Next year, Danfoss will use half the amount of energy to generate the same output as we did when I first joined the company, a bit over a decade ago. This is not just good business, it is common sense.We often speak about the costs of energy efficiency. This is conceptually wrong. We should focus on the return on investment, and yes, there is enough evidence that energy efficiency does pay back. On average, every €1 invested in energy efficiency saves €3 over the lifespan of a technology.