Organisations need practical approach to climate change mitigation

In today’s world, the conversation about achieving carbon neutrality is gaining more and more attention, with countries and businesses setting ambitious targets to offset their carbon emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Carbon neutrality, which refers to the state where net carbon dioxide emissions are zero, can be achieved by balancing carbon emissions with an equivalent amount of carbon or offsetting.

The Paris agreement, an international treaty aimed at combating climate change, calls on countries to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, requiring them to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by around mid-century.

Uganda has set a target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 22% by 2030, with an additional 30% conditional upon external support. To achieve this, Uganda is implementing various policies and initiatives, including increasing the share of renewable energy in its national energy mix by 61% by 2030.

The agreement also requires each member country to develop and communicate a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) which outlines its effort to reduce- greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Similarly, the European Union and the UK aim to be carbon neutral by 2050, while China has pledged to reach carbon neutrality by 2060. While businesses typically aim to maximize profits and minimize costs, they must also consider the need to protect their assets, manage the environment, and safeguard communities. Failure to do so can lead to difficulties or even failure to recover.

In contrast, implementing climate change adaptation strategies, such as offsetting carbon emissions, can help ensure the sustainability of businesses.

By putting interventions in place ahead of any disaster, businesses can guarantee a soft landing in the event of unforeseen challenges. In this article, we explore the practical path to sustainable businesses through the resilience of assets to climate change impacts and offsetting carbon emissions.

In the electricity sector, companies have taken a proactive approach to address climate change and its potential impacts on its assets and operations. Umeme is one of the entities that have developed a comprehensive climate risk assessment plan to identify and assess the potential risks and impacts of climate change on each of its network assets and operations.

This is aimed at creating resilience for each asset given the direct bearing that age, location, size, and class of an asset can have on its ability to withstand climate change disasters such as floods, lightning strikes, storms, rising temperatures, and landslides.

Umeme has identified emission sources in all three scopes and set reduction targets based on the monthly consumption of diesel, petrol, and electricity among others.

The company has also embarked on initiatives to offset its scopes 1 and 2 emissions, such as electrifying its fleet through the purchase of electric forklifts and motorbikes to replace the diesel-powered types, disposing of old fuel-inefficient fleet, purchasing brand-new vehicles that emit minimal and clean air, investing in sustainable workplaces/offices with LED lighting, efficient heating and cooling systems, and training workers on energy and water-saving tips.

The company is also accounting for MV lines passing through fragile and protected ecosystems and has a tree-planting program.

Regarding scope 3 emissions, Umeme plans to collaborate with its entire value chain to identify and deploy interventions to reduce emissions. By taking these proactive measures, Umeme is demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and building a resilient business model that can withstand climate change impacts.

The power utility’s approach of identifying and mitigating climate change risks has numerous benefits. One of the key benefits is the extension of the lifespan of network assets, which reduces the risk of power outages and helps to maintain a reliable power supply.

This, in turn, reduces the need for backup power generators that are often powered by fossil fuels, leading to a reduction in carbon emissions.

In conclusion, protecting assets from climate change risks and managing the environment through identifying and reducing carbon emissions have numerous benefits for companies.

Organisations should put in place safeguards and approaches to identifying and mitigating climate change risks to set the ground to reduce the greenhouse gas effect on the ozone layer and contribute to the much-needed carbon-neutral status for any business.

The author is Environment Advisor, Umeme Limited