Tackling Climate Change with Automation

In the recently concluded COP26 (United Nations Climate Change Conference) event, leaders have raised a serious alarm on the impact of climate change in the world. Countries have committed to going carbon net-zero by end of the year 2050, an ambitious goal that can only be reached through a radical transformation of the most polluting manufacturing processes.

Global technology is a catalyst for change. So, the idea to use technology to deal with the biggest global change that our generation is experiencing is a natural impulse. Leaders across all sectors look at advanced technological breakthroughs, such as RPA, the internet of things, big data, and others to search for ways in which they can be used to help tackle climate change.

Role of automation in climate change

Construction

Researchers have even been looking for ways of modifying the Earth’s environment to control the global climate. Using advanced technology when building or upgrading infrastructure can help reduce climate-related risks. The climate-resilient technology is already being incorporated, not only into the construction industry but also into the business processes of many different industry sectors.

According to The Guardian, if every new building for the next 30 years was made with a material that absorbs carbon dioxide, humans could alleviate global warming, but the key is automation and robotics. It can have a huge footprint to enhance the resilience of businesses to the climate variability of a warming planet.

Smart City Applications

With over 55% of the global population living in cities across the globe, smart city applications have an enormous potential to help tackle climate change. Collecting, analysing, and automating data from sensors across the city offers new opportunities for better city traffic management and smart energy consumption.

Optimizing traffic routes for fleet management of (public) transportation, avoiding congestion, and consuming energy when supply exceeds the demand are some of the use cases we see being developed today.

Waste & harmful gas emission management

Preventing pollution and emissions through monitoring the release of harmful greenhouse gasses or optimizing the manufacturing processes are the forces that can definitely change the ways the current world works.

In recent years, the waste industry has begun deploying new software and mechatronic innovations to bring down operating costs and reduce the negative impacts of waste on the environment. Processes that have been automated can reduce the amount of CO2 emissions.

We have now reached a stage where we simply cannot afford NOT to care about climate change. We each must do our bit to contribute to a greener and more sustainable future.

As an organisation, not being green could adversely affect your brand in the eyes of customers, prospects, and even partners. With the high demand for corporate sustainability, businesses are now under urging pressure to operate eco-friendly and be transparent about their environmental initiatives. According to the Nielsen report, more than 80% of respondents around says it is extremely or very important that companies implement programmes that are environmentally friendly.

Process Mining

With process mining, a company can see everything that is happening in its processes – the existing bottlenecks and any pain points. The overarching view of your business processes will enable you to make sound decisions to improve processes so that they have minimal impact on the environment.

Process Automation

Automating business processes enhances efficiency which leads to sustainable and environment-friendly practices. Companies that are digitising paper-based processes are playing an important role by saving paper through the reduction in printing.

In addition to that, through the automation of lengthy, tedious, and repetitive manual tasks, employees can focus on more value-added tasks – they have more time devoted to sustainability strategies.