I believe humanity has a future and that it’s a sustainable one. Sustainability is engraved in my decision-making – my first thought is always ‘is this sustainable?’ 

At Siemens, we focus on UN Sustainable Development Goals, which we have been agreed upon by almost every country on earth. One of them is climate change, which is something very close to my heart, and that defines my current role. I’m basically tasked with driving Siemens and Siemens customers toward carbon neutrality by 2030. 

It’s easy to find passion and motivation in my role. I’m doing something for my children and my children’s children. It impacts the children of my team, my customers and the entire world. When you are passionate and filled with purpose, you don’t get tired. 

Which is lucky because this is the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced. 

The Importance of Technology in Granting Opportunity 

I’m from India, from a state called Haryana, close to New Delhi. It’s an agriculture-based economy that only got sealed roads in last decade. I saw my first electric lightbulb in the late ‘80s, but when that lamp lit up, I distinctly remember a feeling of unity – our world lit up, and the whole village celebrated. 

I’ve since watched the progress of my village – that light changed lives, with happiness turning into prosperity for many. Sanitation and education soon followed the glow, and my life went in a different direction. I was able to go to school and I now find myself in Singapore working for Siemens. 

But my background means that I have a different understanding than most of the world. In 2021 more than 900 million people still lack access to electricity. At Siemens we want to touch the lives of people by providing clean and affordable energy, and in a sustainable way. 

There’s No Opportunity Without Sustainability 

Siemens is a technology company. We aim to touch the lives of those 900 million people to provide access to electricity and all the opportunities it brings. 

We know that we can no longer burn coal to produce this energy. We must ensure this electricity is renewable. We find ourselves walking a tightrope between supply urgency and long-term sustainability. 

A key part of this sustainability is ensuring that those who do have access to energy use it responsibly. Electricity is a unique resource in that it doesn’t matter how much you produce; you can guarantee it will be used. Energy use increases exponentially as a society develops. But growing up in a village with a single lightbulb, I know the importance of using it responsibly. 

An example: You have a shower; I had a bucket. You use your shower for two hours because you can. I used a single bucket of water because I had to. If we all have a common address (the earth), why should some enjoy so much more liberty than others? Developed nations have an excess of energy, using it even more than what is really necessary. Meanwhile, 900 million people go without energy altogether. Consuming and generating responsibly is about creating equity to the world. 

I’d like to suggest that not only energy but all natural resources should be used responsibly and feed the savings you make into efforts that grant others access. Inequality leads to conflict. The only truly sustainable path is an equitable one. 

The Keys to a Sustainable Future for Your Organisation 

My work at Siemens begins by helping customers reduce their energy consumption. The standard reaction is ‘less energy means less comfort’, but this is where Siemens technology can help. 

We improve efficiency, so that you use less energy without compromising on comfort. It is technology with purpose. We don’t replace equipment that comes with embodied energy i.e. chillers which are usually the worst energy offenders – we instead optimize them with ‘demand flow’ technology. After a few years, the technology will pay for itself, which makes them as compelling a business case as they are an environmental case. Sustainability for the business and as the business. 

When I first have a coffee with a client, I like to dig into the true reason why they do what they do, on a personal level. Almost every answer is either to benefit higher savings, people and society or the planet. Add to that the fact that every leader should now know the biggest risk to their business is climate change. If that’s true, why wait to act? 

The fact is we only have till 2030. If we don’t act now the effects will become irreversible. Even if you invested all the world’s money after 2030, you won’t bring that ice back. 

I then introduce sustainable development goals, and more specifically total energy management, a concept made up of three spheres: 

Reduce your energy consumption through technology. Siemens offers a wealth of energy efficiency technology that can be retrofitted to existing chillers, air compressors, boilers, lighting controls, lift escalators, motors and more. 
Produce your own energy. We can’t be so reliant on coal-fuelled power plants (where 33% of the energy is also lost in transmission and distribution.) Use solar, wind and battery storage to produce and use energy on site with best combination of energy storage with microgrid controllers to create more democratized power.  

Procure green energy. In order to offset any remaining emissions to achieve net zero, look at procuring green energy. As more green energy is procured, the world as a whole will become greener. 

Remember too that sustainability is not something you set and forget. Implement sustainable practices alongside digitalization. Look at the data and search for ways to improve. If you tick a box and consider sustainability ‘complete’, you’ll eventually revert to your original, unsustainable state. 

Work to make your operation more sustainable over time, using new technologies and innovations as they are developed. The ultimate goal should not be to stop at net zero, but to become carbon negative – to take an ever-increasing amount of carbon out of the atmosphere. 

The planet isn’t at risk – we are 

The Earth has seen it all before: asteroids, super volcanoes, mass extinction events. It kept spinning through all this, bouncing back to its former blue and green glory over eons. Climate change doesn’t threaten the earth. It threatens us. 

If we create a world where people help each other, and where everybody enjoys the same opportunities, and where people have the ability to grow, we’ll create a world that is sustainable for us humans. And when we take care of our own species, we’ll also take care of others, because we’re more reliant on nature than nature is on us. 

Every human being has a role in creating this sustainability, but those in charge of big companies have more responsibility than most. 

My work at Siemens gives me hope that we’ll all do the right thing.