At the Alberta Zero 2014 conference, experts from around the world sketched out a potentially bleak future for our country if we do not find a way of reducing our dependency on carbon-based fuels. I applaud the Province of Alberta for holding the conference. More importantly, Alberta must be commended for being proactive in exploring ways of reducing carbon emissions and engaging experts from around the world to find solutions to climate change.

Allow me to summarize the key conference messages:

• The world faces catastrophic impacts if it produces 1,000 billion tons of carbon. World temperatures will increase by more than 2 degrees, a substantial amount when considered on a global scale. In 2013, CO₂ emissions were 9.9 billion tonnes;
• Limiting climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions;
• Setting any climate target implies adopting a carbon “diet”;
• Energy efficiency can achieve 57% of the carbon reduction and is also the most cost effective means of doing so;
• Carbon taxes have proven to be an efficient and effective way of reducing reliance on carbon-based fuels;
• National politicians will not implement solutions to this problem unless citizens demonstrate support.

It is my belief that there is a massive gap between acknowledging the problem and building capacity throughout society to implement the necessary solutions. One stream of the conference rightly focused on developing technology solutions. Other panelists emphasized the equally important need to eliminate energy waste and use energy more productively. None of the solutions presented, however, will ever be deployed at the scale and speed required unless one critical factor is addressed: Leaders need to acknowledge the issue and take action in supporting change immediately.

360 Energy has more than a decade of experience working with industry, municipalities, and other energy consumers to control and reduce their energy usage/carbon emissions. We have learned there is one condition critical for the reduction of carbon emissions. It is the same critical condition for achieving greater energy efficiency – leaders must acknowledge the problem and understand there are real, tangible benefits in the short and long term for their organizations to take action. This translates to leaders engaging and supporting activity from all disciplines and levels within their organizations to become aware of how much energy their organization uses, associated costs, and the prioritization of actions that can be taken by their organization to improve energy performance.

This is work that can, and should, be done now. It starts with leaders of organizations who have a long term vision and take responsibility for their environmental impact. The lofty and laudable goals of Zero 2014 can be achieved. Indeed, they must be achieved by Alberta and the rest of Canada to be a leader on the world stage. It begins with CEOs, municipal managers, owners, deputy ministers and all others with leadership authority. They must want to learn how they can control carbon use now instead of relying solely on others to fix the problem.

360 Energy has a wealth of knowledge and experience in what it takes to succeed with energy management. We have distilled our knowledge within our Journey to Energy Excellence Program™. Our program is not for everyone; however, if environmental stewardship, cost savings, and a hopeful, low carbon future are important to you, please consider having a conversation with us. We can show you, as we have shown dozens of other organizations like yours, how to achieve practical, tangible carbon reductions that improve the bottom line and help protect our environment. Please feel free to contact me for a no cost review if this interests you.

Sincerely,

David Arkell
President & CEO
360 Energy Inc.

Tel: 1-877-431-0332