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. The UAE’s own Earth Overshoot Day was on March 7th of this year.
In response to the growing need to increase and accelerate climate action and ambition, 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 itskey 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.
“All across the world we are seeing the effects of climate change. We’re feeling it here in the Gulf as well, with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius in many places,” said Ahmed Khashan, Cluster President Gulf Countries, Schneider Electric. “As we recover from the pandemic, we must focus on the bigger challenge of ensuring that global temperatures don’t rise by more than two degrees Celsius. We do this by investing in renewables, promoting energy efficiency, and creating the conditions for green economies to thrive. Governments, businesses, and the public must work hand-in-hand if we’re going to achieve this goal. We are ready to play our part, and we encourage others to do the same.”
In the past few years, the UAE has taken decisive action to mitigate climate change and adapt to its imminent impacts, outlining a long-term climate and energy policy pathway. In 2017, the country adopted the National Climate Change Plan of the UAE 2017-2050 that sets a framework for the management of greenhouse gas emissions, climate change adaptation, and private sector-driven innovative economic diversification.
For the period from 2018-2020, Schneider Electric helped its global customers save 134 million tons of CO2 emissions, now reaching 276 million tons saved by the end of the first quarter of 2021. The Group was named the world’s most sustainable corporation by Corporate Knights in February, helping companies to bridge the gap between setting climate change ambitions and achieving them.