Is net zero by 2050 a pipe dream?

CLIMATE change is the defining crisis of our time and an escalating issue that has left many with a sense of helplessness. Fortunately, new initiatives and developments are taking shape, giving public sector authorities and specific industry segments some power to take action to reduce emissions. Singapore’s National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) recently announced Singapore’s commitment to raise its 2030 climate target to support longer-term goals. But are net-zero emissions possible by 2050? I believe they are. However, meeting them will require substantial change and determination.

Analysis by Accenture, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF), shows that digital technologies – such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and automation, scaled across industries – have the power to accelerate decarbonisation efforts and reduce emissions by up to 20 per cent. Digital solutions could be most effective at reducing emissions in the three highest emitting sectors – energy, materials and mobility.

But to make this possibility a reality, high-emitting industry sectors must rethink their strategies to leverage efficiency, circularity and sustainability.