It is estimated that by 2050 the global population will have risen to 9.7 billion, up from 7.7 billion in 2019. The global economy is expected to more than double over the same period. Urbanization, automation, and the rise of living standards will significantly increase the demand for energy globally. At the same time, we urgently need to reduce our CO₂ emissions to counter climate change.

If we continue with business as usual, this scale of expansion will accelerate climate change, and degrade the quality of air and water upon which all living organisms depend. To protect the environment, we need to redouble our commitment to reducing CO₂ in the atmosphere. Reaching the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 will be a tremendous challenge.

In this context, energy efficiency is not an if, it’s a must. It is a simple and impactful solution to mitigate climate change. It’s the low-hanging fruit we need to bridge our path to a future where all energy is clean energy.

It is a low-hanging fruit because a lot of the solutions, technologies and products needed to improve energy efficiency globally already exist today. We just need to take them into use. Energy efficiency is our ‘first fuel’ for a decarbonized future.

With high-efficiency motors and variable speed drives we can do just that. Approximately 45% of the world’s electricity is used to power electric motors in building and industrial applications. It follows that investing to upgrade equipment, as well as adopting the latest developments in digitalization and connectivity, will yield significant rewards in terms of efficiency and sustainability.

It has been estimated that, if all of the more than 300 million industrial electric motor-driven systems currently in operation were replaced with optimized, high-efficiency equipment, global electricity consumption could be reduced by up to 10 percent.

That is why ABB recently launched the Energy Efficiency Movement. The Energy Efficiency Movement brings together all stakeholders to innovate and act for a more energy efficient, regenerative, adaptive world.

To make the urgent change, we need all stakeholders to work together, to use all the creativity and determination in, to use the existing solutions available and to continue to innovate for more. We need to invest in areas that help mitigate climate change and we need governments to guide our actions by regulation and incentives. Together, we can make a real difference if that’s how we decide to use our power. This is exactly what the Energy Efficiency Movement is all about.

As an Energy Efficiency Movement participant, you make a commitment to improve energy efficiency in a concrete way, share that commitment, and then act upon it. We encourage our participants to spread our message through their own channels, as well as establishing partnerships that help to create a more sustainable future for humanity as a whole.

Improving energy efficiency is simply common sense. While the challenges ahead are substantial, they are not insurmountable. With adequate investment, appropriate legislation and decisive commitment, it is possible over the coming decades to make major progress towards the climate goals of the Paris Agreement, as well as on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.