How to fight climate change now?
The Futurium in Berlin is a meeting point for presenting and exchanging information about science, research, and innovation

How to fight climate change now?

This is a defining moment. Climate change is the biggest threat to humanity. We can see that the elements we are driving today are not sufficient. The time has come to radically change and decarbonize our energy system. We have to move fast, and we have to move differently. We need to bring all stakeholders together to shift gears. The time to act is now.

In conversation at the Futurium, Berlin’s “House of Futures,” I joined Oliver Sachgau* to answer questions about the path forward for Siemens Energy and the world at large to mitigate climate change.

You can read the full interview below.?

Climate change is a major threat to humanity. As Siemens Energy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer Christian Bruch notes, the time has come to radically change and decarbonize our energy system.


The world is far from where it needs to be to meet the Paris Climate Agreement goals. We are nearing a tipping point. Why is there still so much hesitancy to do what’s needed to meet these goals?

I would not call it hesitancy. The transformation we need to go through is complex and massive. We can see that the elements we are driving today are not sufficient. The IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] report has shown us that we have to move fast, and we have to move differently. We need to bring all stakeholders together to shift gears. The time to act is now.

The effects of climate change are distributed unevenly, affecting some areas of the world much more than others, especially developing countries and the global south. How do you address the disparity between where climate change is hitting people the hardest and where we have the most resources to tackle it?

We do need different solutions in different parts of the world. At the same time, as the Paris Agreement clearly states, the developed world has an obligation to support the developing world in tackling the challenges of energy supply while addressing sustainability. We, as the developed world, have not lived up to this commitment. We need to recognize that in the developing world in particular, the increase in energy demand will be massive. If the developing world fails to deal with this challenge, we will not be able to mitigate climate change, which will ultimately also be to the disadvantage of the developed world.

There's no single silver bullet for the energy transition, whether it's solar or wind or hydrogen

Your current portfolio consists of conventional and decarbonized technologies. At the same time, you want to be the partner of choice for the energy transition. What will this mean for your portfolio?

There's no single silver bullet for the energy transition, whether it's solar or wind or hydrogen. We will need a variety of technologies – and for a transitional time, we will need conventional technologies. This is why I believe it's a strength to have what we call decarbonized portfolio elements and conventional technologies like gas turbines, because our customers have the same problem. Having said that, our portfolio is absolutely going to change going forward. That’s not even a question. We focus our R&D investments of €1 billion every year on technologies that are relevant in a decarbonized energy world.?

Siemens Energy Sustainability Report 2021

You’ve spoken in the past about the importance of bridging technologies. Why would switching to gas help us decarbonize? Aren’t you just taking half-measures?

First of all, if you can produce power from a renewable energy source, that’s a better way to do it. Nobody is questioning that. But if you have a situation today where 70% of the CO2 emissions in power production are caused by coal-fired power production, the most urgent task becomes how to stop and replace that. If gas helps us build a bridge by cutting the CO2 emissions by two-thirds compared to coal, then this is the right measure for reducing CO2 emissions in the short and medium term. Will it still be the right technology and approach ten or more years down the road? Probably not, but for me, it's important that we stop talking about long-term targets and start tackling some things immediately.

Siemens Energy is setting the course to become an ESG leader in industry

Siemens Energy has the goal of being powered by 100% renewable energy by 2023 as one lever of becoming climate neutral by 2030. How are you doing with these goals?

We're well on track here, and there's no doubt that we will achieve that target of being climate neutral in our own operations by 2030. Reaching this goal will obviously require reducing emissions, but we will also need to compensate emissions from 2030 onwards.

?Is it more important to talk about how we as individuals use electricity, or about the way companies generate it?

That is a very important point because we underestimate the relevance of the individual. If we don't change the way we consume energy, we won't solve the problem. It will require all three elements – how we generate electricity, how we distribute and store it, and how we consume it – and we all have a role as individuals to tackle that. We will have to change, all of us.

This interview originally published in the Siemens Energy's Magazine .

You can access our Sustainability Report here .?


*Oliver Sachgau is a Berlin-based German-Canadian writer and journalist focusing on financial topics. His work has appeared in Bloomberg, the Washington Post, Fortune, and the Independent.

David S.

The Wise Realizes His Ignorance - Thomas Sowell

2 年

Dear Christian Bruch, I like your approach to it with the dual sided "coin" - Climate and Economy. I started subsequent to your article, 1 month ago, and tried to get a quotation from Siemens Energy on a 6 MW steam turbine generator for collaboration on a delivery to a prospect sensitive international customer. I'd like if we could have a 1-on-1 on the matter. Please feel welcome to .. .. email me on [email protected], or .. dial me up on +45 36 99 13 79 (satellite) , .. direct mobile+254 711 405 732. .. invitation David Svarrer on Zello (I have my peers with me there) I head Infinity Point BA as Group CEO, and am currently in Kenya setting up some systems which I will elaborate further on when we talk. We are likely some 15,000 times or so smaller than Siemens, however, we are heading for very large scale international investments into our renewable energy, and provided that we can find modus operandi we can discuss the business. Sincerely Svarrer

Sohan Bir singh

Sr Advisor Technical at Inter Trans Techno ltd UKRAINE

2 年

Congratulation Christian Bruch for the great initiatives We wish you a great success.

Pratyush Nag

Managing Director, Controls & Digitalization, Siemens Energy Quality Task Force Lead, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy

2 年

Thank you Christian Bruch for articulating so clearly our commitment and our plan. It’s time to stop talking and start acting - as individuals and as the technology providers who can make it happen. It’s our obligation for our next generations.

Rich Voorberg

President, Siemens Energy North America

2 年

Thanks Christian Bruch for your leadership on this. We all need to act NOW and agree fully there is no silver bullet to getting to Carbon Neutral, the future is in our hands!!! I also appreciate you addressing all aspects of ESG….we all know what the “right thing” to do is and we must lead.

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