Broken-Record Record-Breaking

Just as we have become used to hearing about the effects of climate change on the world's weather patterns, how we talk about it is evolving, too. We're now familiar with "climate change", whereas not too long ago, it was "global warming" or the "greenhouse effect" (both singling out temperature rises as the main outcome). You may find it surprising that those two words have a long history. Lexicographers at the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) found "climate change" in print as far back as 1854 in an article exploring why winters were milder in Europe. Even then, there was debate about the cause. Was it down to deforestation and the draining of marshes, or could it be something happening to the Earth's magnetic poles?³ 

How we describe climate change is one thing. How it can adversely affect our well-being is another. This has recently been termed "eco-anxiety", referring to the emotional response to the environmental crisis. ⁵ It manifests itself more readily in areas already experiencing the brunt of climate change effects. But its impact may be found everywhere, in those who work directly with the issues, from scientists and engineers to journalists, to anyone concerned with the potential outcome of irreversible climate change.

One particular group that suffers from eco-anxiety is the younger generation. Writing in Rotman Management⁶ last year, Britt Wray reported on the findings from a Stanford study of 10,000 young people aged 15 to 25 from around the globe. The study included countries as diverse as the US, UK, France, Finland, Nigeria, the Philippines, Brazil, Portugal, Australia, and India. The findings were startling:

How the effects of climate change are communicated is critical. The words used, the choice of focus, and the sentiment contained all need careful consideration. The United Nations strongly recommends the inclusion of three factors.⁷

Use authoritative scientific information: 

this includes ensuring facts and figures come from a reliable, science-based source and avoiding misinformation and greenwashing (portraying a company or product as environmentally friendly when it is not).

Convey the problem and the solutions:

this is vital to avoid a sense of "crisis fatigue" and defeat. The race to net zero by 2050 and halving GHGs by 2030 is a formidable challenge. To reach those goals, a strong focus must be on the 'how'. As we progress along the sustainability journey, more solutions will emerge.

Mobilise action:

stressing the urgency, a laser-like focus on the opportunities, and emphasising the relevance of action are motivating factors. How we limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C might be difficult to picture for many, but showing how increased efficiency, for example, can reduce emissions is tangible and within reach.

Where the potential for greenwashing is concerned, the United Nations makes a clear suggestion:

That's sound advice, but how and where do you ensure that companies deliver on their promises? One reliable source is the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), founded in 2015 as a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Since then, it has played a key role in mobilising companies worldwide to take action to mitigate climate change. The process involves committing to realistic, achievable goals (sector-dependent) and developing these with the organisation before submitting them for validation. Over 5,500 businesses globally now have validated targets. Spirax Group targets were approved last year for our near-, long-term, and net zero goals. They are:

• reduce near-term absolute scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 50.4% by 2032*

• achieve net zero no later than 2050 in scope 1, 2 and 3, which includes a minimum 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions*

• reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain** by 2050

_{*:  From a 2021 base year.
**:  A company's value chain covers all its activities, from design, sourcing, manufacturing, and the customers use of its products.}

Commitments transform promises into reality. They are a declaration of intent, setting the benchmark by which we are measured. The SBTi openly shows those organisations that have made such undertakings and those that have been removed per its Commitment Compliance Policy (you'll find the targets dashboard here).

Being held accountable will be increasingly important as we collectively act with purpose to transform our future. Equally important is our ability to work together and forge partnerships along the way to ensure we reach those targets.

In our field of expertise, steam thermal solutions, we have already learnt much about what can be achieved. This year will see the launch of our Customer Sustainability Journey, and the sharing of our experience to date.

Businesses have always had to navigate a path through new and uncertain territories. Last year's COP28 agreed to double the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030. Given the importance of thermal energy for many sectors, the opportunity for record-breaking of a different kind is possible.