ngoing climate change is an ominousscenario. Yet industry has enoughrevolutionary technologies to slow thischange, believes Siemens, the globalmarket leader in environmental technology. Thecompany is also a strategic collaboration partner infuture sustainable urban development projects,including the climate-neutral Masdar City in Abu Dhabi.The world's population is growing - and it is growingmost rapidly in the metropolises. Today, over half ofhumanity already lives in cities. This figure is likely toreach 70 per cent by 2050, when the number of peopleliving in cities will equal today's entire world population. As the number of urban inhabitants increases, so do theproblems. Traffic threatens to collapse, clean drinkingwater is becoming scarcer, and the energy demandcontinues to grow. It is also essential to cut emissions.Cities are the main sources of CO2emissions. Theyaccount for 75 per cent of global energy consumptionand for 80 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissionsgenerated by human activity, primarily CO2. Thepolitical establishment has been addressing thisproblem for just under 20 years. The firstenvironmental summit, which took place in Rio deJaneiro in 1992, was followed by 15 climateconferences whose results have been regularly publiclycriticised for being insufficient. However, this criticismRight:Renewable energysources like wind powerand electric cars canbecome perfect partners- the renewables canguarantee thattransportation in thecities of the future will be environment-friendly,and the cars can stabilise the power grid by storing excess energy in their batteriesLeft: In China, the firsthigh-voltage directcurrent transmission linewith a world recordvoltage of 800,000 voltsdistributes electricalenergy with very highefficiency across 1,400kilometres. The core ofthe Siemens system arehuge transformers - eachas large as a house andweighing 350 tonnesTHE CITY OF THE FUTUREWILL BE GREEN080INNOVATION TECHNOLOGYOPETER LÖSCHER, PRESIDENT OF THE MANAGING BOARD AND CEO, SIEMENS AG

up phase. Especially Brazil and China are very wellpositioned when it comes to economic performancecombined with environmental protection. China hasset itself the national goal of increasing energyefficiency and is greatly accelerating the expansion ofrenewable energy technologies like wind, solar andhydroelectric power. In much of the world, people areaccepting the fact that the cost of failing to act wouldin the long run far exceed the cost of the requiredinvestments in green technologies today. Siemens is the market leader for green solutions in many segments - from power generation andtransmission to energy usage in industry, buildings andtransportation - and offers its services as a partner togovernments and cities. Siemens earned roughly ?28 billion in fiscal 2010 from its environmentalproducts. This accounts for more than one third of thecompany's revenue. Customers benefit from Siemens'successful technologies in many ways. In 2010 alone,they will prevent 267 million tonnes of CO2emissionsINNOVATION TECHNOLOGY081overlooks important positive aspects of theseconferences; one of which is the public awareness thatthey generate. Throughout the world, climate protectionhas become more important than ever. The Cancúnconference is another major step in the right direction.Often overlooked as well is the fact that localpoliticians in many large cities are alreadyimplementing targeted and efficient actions thatparallel government efforts. Miami, the southernmostmetropolis in the United States, plans to cut CO2emissions by 25 per cent by 2020 compared to the2006 level, by increasing their use of solar energy andexpanding the mass transit network. Miami earned thetitle of "cleanest city in America" in 2008. Mexico isalso hard at work. Twenty years ago, the United Nationsnamed Mexico City the most polluted city in the world - and by 2022 it plans to be the greenest city inLatin America.The emerging nations find themselves in a rapid catch-?