Leadership for a Clean RevolutionMark Kenber, CEO, The Climate Group106 inNOVATION TECHNOLOGY Throughout history, revolutions - whether technical, social or economic - have required strong leadership. Looking to the future, the need for an energy and resource revolution could not be greater. By 2050, our planet will share 9 billion people. By 2035 global electricity demand could double. Simultaneously, we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by mid-century. To achieve this, emissions must peak by 2020. Dealing with these challenges will require a level of systemic change that can only be described as a Clean Revolution: a transformative process that will drastically change the way we produce and consume natural resources, inspire a rapid transition to clean energy and smart technologies and embed sustainability principles at the heart of the way we conduct business and formulate policy. As in the past, this Clean Revolution must be driven by strong, innovative leadership.Examples of leadership inspiring transformative change are etched throughout history. Visionaries of the Industrial Revolution, for example, enabled catalytic changes in agriculture, transportation and industry. James Watt's radical improvements to the power, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of steam engines revolutionised industrial and commercial transportation systems, initiating the railway age. Thomas Edison's successful development of the first practical electric light bulb provided the technological breakthrough that led to rapid global electrification and the beginning of the electric revolution. Pioneers in telecommunications from Alexander Graham Bell, to Marconi, John Logie Baird and the host of innovators that gave birth to the Internet have made this planet more connected than ever before in its history. However, revolutionary technologies have always faced skepticism. In the 1780s, investors withheld ? Pictured Above: Mark KenberinNOVATION TECHNOLOGY 107 |