SIEMENS

In 1992 an agreement was signed by participants at the Rio Earth Summit. Now, 20 years later, more than 44,000 representatives from governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the business world have discussed a possible follow-up agreement at the same location. In addition to organizing numerous activities, Siemens also presented a “Technology in Action” exhibition at a shared United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) pavilion. Siemens is a partner of UNEP, which has called for the establishment of a Green Economy.

Negotiations at Rio+20 quickly revealed that conflicts of interest would make it impossible to reach any major inter-governmental agreements. The NGOs and the private sector will therefore have to play an increasingly important role if the objective of a green economy is to be achieved. Some companies are already taking action. At its exhibition, Siemens showed how economic growth and environmental efficiency can be two sides of the same coin — for example, by pointing out how efficient power plants generate more electricity than conventional units using the same amount of primary energy. This reduces CO₂ emissions and increases power plant operators’ returns. Intelligent infrastructure can be used to solve traffic and logistics problems in cities, while conserving resources. Cities then become more attractive to residents and commercial enterprises alike. Targeted government regulation can create economic incentives for developing and expanding the use of efficient technologies. Many of the required technologies already exist; they just need to be implemented consistently.

Nor does all of this apply just to industrialized nations. In the “Technology in Action” exhibition, which was organized in cooperation with the Siemens Foundation, 11 organizations from developing countries and emerging markets presented concepts and demonstrated successful projects. Simple innovations adapted to local requirements help solve problems related to issues such as energy and drinking water supplies. WindEmpowerment, for example, is an organization that teaches residents of remote villages not only how to build wind turbines from locally available materials but also how to operate and service them. “Access to electricity is crucial for development,” says Piet Chevalier, a Siemens engineer and one of the founders of WindEmpowerment. “The participants in my first workshop in a small village in Mali have already built their seventh turbine — without any external help”. During his stay in Rio, Chevalier also taught a group of Brazilian students and NGO members how to use this simple yet effective technology and pass it on as multipliers.

The “Students for Sustainability” competition initiated by Siemens focused on concrete measures as well. The six international student teams in the competition presented concepts for addressing challenges in their home countries. The best concepts can now be realized with the help of €10,000 in prize money.

Although only modest progress was made at the event, the last day of Rio+20 was marked by a new spirit of optimism. More and more groups and companies are seizing the initiative themselves — as evidenced by the workshop participants who built a wind turbine just outside Rio and cheered as it went into operation. “I hope this summit teaches us how to make the dialog between different stakeholder groups more effective in the future,” says Chevalier, summarizing his thoughs regarding the event. “We can’t just sit around in between these conferences and wait and hope that governments will solve the problems. We already have the technology we need to change things — so let’s do it!”