In this role, I get to work with so many organisations that are determined to collectively make a difference and accelerate our journey to net zero. One such organisation is Aberdeen City Council. I met with the Corporate Management Team and Alex Nicoll, co-leader recently to discuss their vision for the Council and its ambitious sustainability goals.

The team at Aberdeen sees acting on sustainability as a social and environmental duty. The Climate Change Scotland 2009 Act set out targets to reduce carbon footprints, make the best use of resources, reduce waste and protect water. It is something that Aberdeen City Council takes very seriously.

On the council’s own progress, Andy MacDonald, Director of Customer Services at Aberdeen City Council, said, “We will achieve net zero corporate carbon emissions by 2045 at the latest, with interim targets of a reduction of at least 48% by 2025 and a reduction of at least 75% by 2030. As a city at the heart of the energy sector, the energy transition is a vital priority for Aberdeen. Using skills, knowledge, and experience as a world-leader in energy, the city is investing in net zero technology, building low carbon infrastructure and reskilling and upskilling to support a just transition to net zero.”

This isn’t a new vision for the city. It began its journey to net zero several years ago. In 2020 the Council set out its Energy Transition Vision. This is its progressive plan to position Aberdeen as a climate positive city while helping to lead the world on the rapid shift to a net zero future.  

The city has also launched Aberdeen Adapts, which is a framework for city-wide adaptation to changes to our climate. The framework incorporates the views of local organisations and communities, and sets the direction to build long term city climate resilience.

Working with its citizens is key to meeting these goals. In fact, it is critical. We are all in this together so only by bringing the community into the actions taken can we see the change we need.

The Council has developed a Net Zero City Routemap, along with its Energy Transition Vision, following public consultations and engagement with citizens. This collaborative approach with stakeholders, both public and private, and communities is what will allow Aberdeen to succeed. With investment in the plans going far beyond the Council and into the communities they are supporting, there is a collective effort to see real change.

Making progress

The Council is already further along than many. It has been leading on low carbon technology with two hydrogen refuelling stations to service its growing hydrogen bus fleet. It has also rolled out LED street lighting, expanded its range of electric and hydrogen fleet vehicles, increased connections to district heating for some public buildings and council housing, and installed several green roofs across its buildings.

This overarching approach to reaching Net Zero means every part of the Council is being reviewed and changes made where needed. It also shows the citizens of Aberdeen that their Council is taking its commitment to everyone’s future seriously.

Technology will play a vital role in how Aberdeen City Council is able to achieve these goals. In how it is able to retrofit housing projects, in how it monitors scarce resources and in many other projects. This is where we come in. It is only when we work together that we can see real progress.

Find out more

The need for urgent action: COP27 and the road to net zero

Microsoft 2021 Environmental Sustainability Report

Accelerating the Journey to Net Zero study

Microsoft Sustainability Webinar: From COP26 to COP27

Resources to empower your development team

Get started with Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability Training

About the author

Musidora joined the Microsoft UK Senior Leadership Team in February 2022 as Chief Sustainability Officer. She is accountable for driving sustainability outcomes for our customers, partners and internally. Prior to that, Musidora spent three years at Salesforce setting up and leading the Energy and Utilities Go to Market. She has extensive experience of the technology industry across hardware, consulting and software sales, over the past twenty years.

She featured at number 3 in the top 100 global sustainability leaders for 2022 in Sustainability Magazine, was named one of the top 100 female future leaders in 2020 by INvolve and Yahoo Finance UK, and was included in Kindness & Leadership’s Rising Star list for 2020.

Musidora is passionate about D&I and particularly in supporting more women in the STEM industries. She is an active coach, mentor and sponsor both inside and outside of the industry.

The post Aberdeen City Council shows ambition and leadership in tackling climate change appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

Globally, we are facing the greatest challenge humanity has seen: To limit the planet’s temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. To achieve this, we should be producing less carbon than we take out of the atmosphere by the second half of the century. The World Energy Outlook Report by the IEA reported 2021 had the second-largest annual CO2 emission rise in history.

The time is now for greater ambition and faster action towards the transition to net zero. This is good for business too. As we meet and surpass our emission goals, organisations can improve efficiency, create new jobs, minimise waste and gain innovative new business value. According to a study from Microsoft and Dr Chris Brauer, Goldsmiths, University of London, 62 percent of business leaders expect their organisation to be carbon-neutral by 2035. However, only 41 percent of UK organisations are currently on track to meet the government’s targets for net zero emissions by 2050.

[msce_cta layout=”image_center” align=”center” linktype=”blue” imageurl=”http://approjects.co.za/?big=en-us/industry/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/10/windmills.png” linkurl=”https://info.microsoft.com/UK-SUSTN-CNTNT-FY22-10Oct-27-Accelerating-the-journey-to-net-zero-AID-3036270-SRGCM5247_LP01-Registration—Form-in-Body.html” linkscreenreadertext=”A wind farm. Renewables are important as part of a sustainability strategy.” linktext=”ACCELERATING THE JOURNEY TO NET ZERO” imageid=”65494″ ][/msce_cta]

Therefore, I am proud of Microsoft being the Strategic Technology Partner and Principal Sponsor at the 27th UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) taking place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. As a Strategic Principal Sponsor, we are joining forces with governments, organisations and communities to define net zero, measure progress, and build carbon markets that can deliver a just, prosperous future for everyone on the planet.

This is a global issue that needs a global response. To be successful, we need to understand these key factors:

Changes to infrastructure

PwC estimates that £40 billion per year needs to be invested into new low carbon and digital infrastructure over the next 10 years to meet the UK’s net zero ambition. Global CO2 emissions rose 6 percent in 2021 despite the large growth of renewable power generation. This is due to the rise in coal burning from adverse weather and energy market conditions.

Energy infrastructure needs to enable greater decentralisation while the government should support the roll out of green technology such as charging facilities. Industries should look to optimise energy efficiency by adopting a more advanced IT system:

Tackle your organisation’s emissions

Better data

Management of something is impossible if you are not measuring it. The world needs to simplify and streamline its carbon accounting and management, including data collection, digitisation and optimisation. Automating this analysis and sharing this data is essential to businesses, organisations and governments if we are going to achieve the robust reductions we need to by 2030 and remain below 1.5 degrees. Microsoft is building a Planetary Computer to address this need for better data:

Discover our planetary computer

New technology

We need to leverage new and unknown technologies to help our progress towards net zero. This includes creating advanced batteries, carbon capture, utilisation and storage, fuel alternatives, bioenergy and decarbonising building materials:

Learn how our AI solutions help empower

New business models

There’s no doubt climate change poses risks to many industries. The increase of adverse weather, for example, affects crop growth, interrupts supply chains or even prevents people from getting to work. Therefore, organisations need to shift to circular business models, to build resiliency and reduce emissions.

At the same time, organisations must look at new and innovative ways to democratise the access of new technology such as solar panels, heat pumps and electric cars to customers.

Amplify your progress with Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability.

Channelling investment

The world needs financial and human investment across the economy. Money and jobs must flow into carbon reduction and removal markets. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) assets are growing upward of 15 percent annually. As more organisations are tying ESG criteria into their values and evaluations, more work needs to be done to support initiatives that help our collective net zero goals.

Learn why ESG is good for business

Upskilling

As organisations implement innovative technology, or job roles change over time, they need to support their people with developing new skills and ensure they invest in a skilling culture to attract and retain talent:

Microsoft has a range of free learning paths, webinars, training to help people build their digital skills.

How we’ve been supporting net zero goals

See our sustainability journey so far: 1.3M metric tons of carbon removed, 20 water replenishment projects funded, 60K metric tons of waste diverted from landfill, 10 petabytes of environmental data available.

Since announcing our own sustainability goals in 2020, we’ve been focussing on reducing waste, improving water access and defining the technology that will help everyone achieve these goals. We have also taken an innovative and exciting approach to helping our customers and partners reach net zero.

Carbon

To decarbonise at pace, Rolls-Royce is using Microsoft Azure to process, model and interrogate flight data. These insights are used to improve the performance of plane engines and drive sustainability.

Waste

Recycleye is revolutionising the waste management industry by automating the detection of everything on a waste management facility’s conveyor belt and identifying it in granular detail, improving recycling.

Water

Anglian Water is helping its customers love every drop with a smart metering scheme that leverages data. While empowering customers to adapt their own behaviour, Anglian Water can use the data to identify leaks, manage supply and reduce water waste.

Ecosystems

SSE Renewables is protecting the ecosystems surrounding their sustainable energy assets by using AI to monitor and protect puffins.

Taking meaningful action towards net zero

COP27 is a place for everyone to unite for positive change. We aim to continue helping people, governments and organisations to better understand the transformative potential of technology to help solve many of the complex climate challenges we face.

Building for a sustainable future

We know that to achieve real, global net zero, every organisation needs to reduce emissions as much as possible and physically remove the rest. 64 percent of UK business leaders say cutting their carbon footprint is part of their organisation’s sustainability strategy. However, only 17 percent have implemented a detailed programme for mapping emissions and less than half monitor them. Our study, Accelerating the journey to net zero, shares practical tips and guidance on how UK organisations can accelerate their sustainability progress.

COP27 is a timely reminder that our work has just begun. But it also shows us that sustainability, when engrained into organisational goals and values, brings innovative new ideas to life. At the same time, it optimises the work we do, and creates a stronger brighter future for all.

Find out more

Learn more about sustainability with Microsoft

Accelerating the journey to net zero

Microsoft Sustainability Webinar From Cop 26 to Cop 27

About the author

Musidora joined the Microsoft UK Senior Leadership Team in February 2022 as Chief Sustainability Officer. She is accountable for driving sustainability outcomes for our customers, partners and internally. Prior to that, Musidora spent three years at Salesforce setting up and leading the Energy and Utilities Go to Market. She has extensive experience of the technology industry across hardware, consulting and software sales, over the past twenty years.

She featured at number 3 in the top 100 global sustainability leaders for 2022 in Sustainability Magazine, was named one of the top 100 female future leaders in 2020 by INvolve and Yahoo Finance UK, and was included in Kindness & Leadership’s Rising Star list for 2020.

Musidora is passionate about D&I and particularly in supporting more women in the STEM industries. She is an active coach, mentor and sponsor both inside and outside of the industry.

The post The need for urgent action: COP27 and the road to net zero appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

We know from the latest IPCC report on climate change that we have a very narrow window of time to ensure we achieve our global goal of operating within a 1.5-degree climate rise. The impact of not doing so will have devastating consequences for global temperatures, drought impacting food security, and flooding and sea level rises putting lives at risk and destroying precious ecosystems. 

We need to achieve our aim of becoming a global net-zero economy and prevent the worst effects of climate change – before it’s too late. As a business community we can, and must, work together to stay on track with our sustainability goals, even in the face of considerable market instability.

Transforming net-zero commitment into strategy

Last year, world leaders left COP26 having made a series of commitments that we pledged to translate into corporate and employee action – and, crucially, deliver on. Yet our own research shows us that half of all UK organisations won’t hit the 2050 net zero target. Additionally, there’s a number of disruptive global events ranging from the war in Ukraine, to fuel, food, and cost of living crises, and, of course, the ongoing recovery from COVID-19 that have challenged overall progress. As a result, there is very real concern that progress may stall even further.

However, despite the significant challenges we face, there have been green shoots of progress, with a variety of organisations already implementing successful sustainable strategies – but we must keep going.

Microsoft’s sustainability journey

At Microsoft, we too are on this same journey, with lots still to learn. Like others, over the last year we have reported both successes and challenges, but we continue to innovate and apply learnings quickly to our business and our industry. 

We’re two years into our 10-year plan to be carbon negative by 2030 and by 2050 to remove more carbon from the environment than we have emitted since 1975. We’re also striving to be water positive, zero waste and to protect and restore more land than we use.

So, how has our strategy evolved and what learnings can we share?

• We set the tone from the top. Sustainability is part of our brand commitment, fully supported by the leadership team and sits at the core of our business. We are a company that pursues profit by solving the problems of people and the planet. ​And that means making sustainability part of everyone’s role, no matter what that role is.

• We set ambitions based on science. The best available science indicates that every organisation needs to do even more in far less time than we previously thought. That means we need to set goals that align with the science, and we need to be more ambitious.

• We hold everyone accountable for progress and put a governance structure in place to track progress in real time. Governance and accountability are essential here. At Microsoft, we hold our business groups accountable for their carbon emissions. We set measurements and scorecards for each business group’s sustainability commitments across the company and review progress twice a year.

• We report on everything, not just progress. When things go well, we share it alongside guides to help other organisations achieve similar results. And if things go less well, we share that too, so we can all learn and grow together. Our most recent report was published in March, with several important lessons worth reading.

While these are all great steps forward, we’re just a small fraction of total global emissions. So beyond delivering on our own commitments, we must help reduce the remaining 99.97 percent.

The net zero opportunity

In the UK, 60 per cent of FTSE 100 companies are committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

From our own research, we know that 64 percent of UK business leaders say cutting their carbon footprint is part of their organisation’s environmental sustainability strategy. However, the same research revealed that:

The top challenge faced by leaders wanting to move from a position of ambition, to one of action, was the lack of an organisational sustainability strategy.

Most organisations are using offline spreadsheets to organise their data across a myriad of siloed sources. That’s why I’m excited for the general availability of the Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability which helps address these problems. 

Unify your data to drive sustainability and operations

Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability helps unify your data and record, report and reduce your organisation’s environmental impact through a common data model, automated data connections and actionable insights. This improves visibility across your value chain, which can account for up to 90 percent of the average organisation’s resource footprint.

By bringing together first-party and third-party capabilities, it can help build a more sustainable IT infrastructure. Solutions like Microsoft Sustainability Manager can help you monitor and manage your environmental sustainability journey end to end, or the Emissions Impact Dashboard application provides transparency into emissions produced from your use of Microsoft cloud services.

And through our work with partners using advanced analytics, machine learning, and virtual models in the cloud, we’re also helping your organisation reduce the environmental impact of operations and create sustainable value chains.

Together with our partners, we’re providing the foundational intelligence and data management capabilities you need to face complex capital allocation decisions with agility and confidence, while weighing ESG commitments, growth, and shareholder value criteria.

Combine culture and technology for a successful strategy

Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability creates a common carbon language and broad technology ecosystem needed to support your sustainability strategy. It can also help you develop better data assets and use better digital tools to drive digital modernisation.

But it’s not just the solutions that will help you reach your sustainability goals. It’s also a culture of transparency and accountability. As leaders, we have a role to play in creating the right type of environment. We must follow through with action to trigger the changes we need to see in the world. 

No matter where you are in your journey, the right culture and the right tools will help all of us go further and faster when it comes to sustainability. 

Find out more

Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability

Accelerate sustainability progress and business growth

Resources to empower your development team

Sustainable software engineering learning path

About the author

Musidora joined the Microsoft UK Senior Leadership Team in February 2022 as Chief Sustainability Officer. She is accountable for driving sustainability outcomes for our customers, partners and internally. Prior to that, Musidora spent three years at Salesforce setting up and leading the Energy and Utilities Go to Market. She has extensive experience of the technology industry across hardware, consulting and software sales, over the past twenty years.  

She featured on Computer Weekly’s list of most influential women in technology in 2021, was named one of the top 100 female future leaders in 2020 by INvolve and Yahoo Finance UK, and was included in Kindness & Leadership’s Rising Star list for 2020. 

Musidora is passionate about D&I and particularly in supporting more women in the STEM industries. She is an active coach, mentor and sponsor both inside and outside of the industry.  

The post How to turn your sustainability ambition into action appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.