We don't have a backup

We’re reaching that moment earlier and earlier – a few days earlier almost every year since 1970: Earth Overshoot Day. The day as of which humanity has consumed as much resources as the Earth would be able to renew in a whole year. After that point, we’d need a second Earth to supply us for the rest of the year. We need a sustainable Plan B for ourselves and our planet, covering ecology, the economy, and the healthcare system.

One of the first and hardest lessons at the beginning of the pandemic was this: A country’s healthcare system is just as much a part of its critical infrastructure as the ability to supply energy, water, or food. Many industrialized nations, who are able to ensure good medical care for their population, have been seeing bottlenecks when infection waves peaked. Too little protective equipment, too few beds, too few devices, and over and over again, not enough personnel to help too many patients. Wise investment can mitigate these issues – in part by further digitalizing medicine – but adding more technology is only part of the answer. Appreciation is also crucial – under the magnifying glass of the crisis, it became clear that some societies urgently need to think about how they want to motivate people to join the health professions.

In many places, a shortage of medical care is not an exception. It’s a constant fact of life for billions of people. At least half the world’s population has no access to safe, affordable, prompt healthcare services. There are health and healthcare disparities even within industrialized nations: In the U.S., Covid-19 has widened the already existing gap in average life expectancy between Black (72 years) and white Americans (78), now to six years. While the world has been focusing on Covid-19, many institutions that campaign for better living conditions have warned about severe setbacks in the global struggle against hunger, poverty, and disease. Which means that now more than ever, privileged countries and organizations need to do all they can to support the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.

Another lesson from the pandemic relates to Earth Overshoot Day, an indicator of our consumption of resources. For the first time in 50 years, that date didn’t arrive earlier in 2020, but shifted several weeks onward in the direction of the year’s end – from July 29 in 2019, to August 22. So, we used our resources a bit more sparingly, roughly resetting to the level of 15 years ago. However, that savings wasn’t planned but forced. The pandemic made us cut back pretty sharply on consumption, mobility, and the whole global economy. Which is not much use as a blueprint for greater sustainability. Therefore, we urgently need to think about some such blueprint. As tough as the current phase is, it also offers us a historic opportunity to reflect critically on our own economic, social and ecological behavior, and to change it – for greater health, fairness and prosperity all over the world.

The third lesson from the pandemic is – and I think the most hopeful one: there’s no “me” in the global village – just “we” and “us.” We’re a community with a shared fate, hurtling through the vacuum on a ball of rock at more than 100,000 kilometers an hour around a nuclear fusion furnace. And the best way to survive this wild ride is through teamwork. Discrimination of any kind, natural disasters like pandemics, or the even more serious consequences of climate change – these are global problems that call for global answers. In crises that affect the whole world, we’re #InThisTogether. We’ve seen many acts of humanity and solidarity that haven’t stopped short at national or cultural boundaries – whether in donations from the population at large, or taking in patients from neighboring countries, or helping out with deliveries of protective equipment, or in the dialogue among researchers all over the world. One result was the rapid, joint development of tests and vaccines in the struggle against Covid-19 – to me, that belongs in the same category as the greatest scientific projects since the Moon landing. But as a next step, we – the privileged nations – must allow ourselves to be judged by when we make those achievements available for people living in lower-income countries.

More healthcare delivery, less waste, closer solidarity – the outline for Plan B sounds simple, but it won’t be easy. Siemens Healthineers, as a company that operates in the healthcare industry, feels a special responsibility to help put that plan into action. We’re working from a sound foundation. Our innovations have always helped people live longer, healthier lives. A commitment to health is inseparable from a commitment to sustainability. Which is why, just a few days ago, we introduced our ambitious, holistic sustainability program. We have three paramount goals:

1. Improve quality of life through access to modern healthcare, especially in countries that are currently underserved. After all, medical care and access to scientific progress are among the fundamental rights of every human being.
2. Contribute to conserving resources and to a healthy, livable environment.
3. Advance diversity and inclusion and encourage the personal development of the people in our team.

Our commitment to these is guided by the United Nations’ standard.

From now on we’ll be reporting regularly to the public about what progress we’ve made – and allow ourselves to be judged by the success of our efforts.

I look forward to seeing your comments – here or at @Bernd_Montag on Twitter.