Welcome

Every Day is Earth Day 

Energy powers human progress.

Global need for energy is expanding and we need to produce more and in addition, over 1.4 billion people lack access to the energy required to feed and care for their families; educate themselves or quite simply have a safe and secure life after dark. The need for energy is universal and is an essential part of every family, every village, town and nation.

This need will impact the environment, specifically climate change with its potential to bring droughts, floods, diseases and geopolitical conflict for resources and raw materials.

I agree with the Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Kandeh Yumkella, indeed universal access to sustainable energy will become the catalyst for the Third Industrial Revolution. Energy drives economies - this statement has stood the test of time.

We are currently using over 85M barrels of petroleum per day and global energy demand is growing at a rate of 1.6% per year.  What does this mean in real terms?

It means quite simply that global demand for energy will double over the next 40-50 years.  In addition, the IEA estimates that we need to introduce over 30% zero carbon fuels into the global energy pool to stabilize atmospheric CO₂ levels.

The impact on our planet of trying to meet this energy growth target without reducing our carbon footprint is becoming increasingly clear.  It is our responsibility to seize upon this as an opportunity to make a change.

In fact, we can meet this challenge if we use all the scientific tools we have at our disposal and embrace new ideas.  New energy solutions are increasingly available to us; solutions that create low carbon fuels from waste resources will mitigate GHG emissions, increase energy security and promote energy democratization. This is progress.

In addition, I believe that solutions to these global challenges must be found at the regional level. Communities need solutions that integrate well with local requirements and leverage local resources; in the case of energy production- using waste gases from local industry or local agricultural waste products or municipal solid waste.

We need the world’s collective intellect and passion to change the status quo. Through global initiatives, like the UN’s 2012 Sustainable Energy 4 all program- we will be able to harness ideas, innovations and emerging technologies while bringing together a team that is capable of making a real material difference.

This year, 22nd April was Earth Day. 
Let us celebrate our planet by remembering that we must work to save it every single day.  Our future depends upon solutions which defy our current definition of energy sources and how energy should be utilized or deployed. It is a global opportunity to challenge our assumptions and innovate to change the rules.


We must change the rules so we can ensure everyone on this Earth has access to
energy.


That is progress.


Dr. Jennifer Holmgren is CEO of LanzaTech, a company that has developed a novel gas-liquid fermentation process that produces fuels and chemicals from waste gas resources.