Decarbonizing Cities - How to Harmonize Buildings, Mobility and Infrastructure

Jan 12, 2021 5:45 PM ET
Cities lie at the heart of the fight against climate change and now have the chance to build back better. Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Origionally published on World Economic Forum

by Francesco StaraceChief Executive Officer and General Manager, Enel, Jean-Pascal Tricoire Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Schneider Electric

Why is it so important to decarbonize cities? And how can we do it?

The first question is easy to answer: The cities in which more than half of us live account for nearly two-thirds of the CO2 emissions that lie at the root of our planet’s looming climate crisis. Skyscrapers in megalopolises, shopping malls, SUVs in the streets, air conditioners in a growing number of places throughout the globe – all consume a vast amount of high CO2-content energy.

The answer to the second question is to take an integrated approach: leveraging clean electrification and digital technology to harmonize urban energy systems, while also thinking beyond individual projects to consider their impact within the surrounding communities and the built environment.

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Sustainability at Schneider Electric