Climate change, or rather global warming, is an established scientific fact. It is more than 97% certain that current trends are caused by us, human beings, by burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests. This is demonstrated by over 10,000 peer-reviewed scientific papers and the outputs of the IPCC, a scientific intergovernmental body. The result of climate change is an increase in global temperature. This in turn causes glaciers to melt, changes in animal and plant habitats and a steady increase in extreme weather events, such as hurricane Sandy in October 2012. That will increasingly affect people´s lives around the world, geography, the economy, supply chains, and global political stability.

Global warming is a human-made problem. To solve it, the global community will need to change its consumption patterns and energy infrastructure. This will relate to not just specific energy-intensive sectors or activities, but to everyone, public authorities, the private sector and you.

To drive change and establish a low carbon economy we need a holistic approach, a diversified solution is key. It will involve strategic thinking, innovation, research and debate, consensus and political will. But most importantly, we need concrete solutions. We need long term policies, bottom up initiatives, fuel switch, energy efficiency, solar water heaters on every roof, renewable energy targets, carbon taxes, cap-and-trade systems. We need to raise awareness and to switch off the standby button on our TV. We need to consume less. This will be a step by step process, but every step will be equally important. And finally, we need to move fast, we need action now.

For all of that we will need a new way of thinking, a mindshift.