Greentech Media

But we can begin to address this anticipated economic and environmental pain now by deploying energy-efficiency software – which, unlike solar, wind or biomass, doesn’t require huge capital expenditures, isn’t invasive when installed and can generate almost immediate savings and returns.

To be sure, investment would be required – $170 billion annually over the next 13 years – but energy-efficiency improvements could cut projected energy consumption by at least half, according to McKinsey analysts.

And despite our measured eco-progress to date, we are definitely succeeding. Solar power is now much more efficient and scalable thanks to powerful next-generation inverter engineering; a host of biofuel players are figuring out where to go in the wake of the false start on ethanol; manufacturing factories and facilities are deploying new environmental technologies to enter the clean world of the 21st century; diesel engines are being retrofitted with new anti-emission hardware; and glistening green buildings are rising in cities from coast to coast, thanks to new sustainability practices and materials. 

My take on all this is that things are moving slowly, but we’re engaging in a complex and long-term process. So, of course, patience is required. You can’t fully grasp – or address or attack – the consequences of the largest human migration in centuries by simply pumping out a new software disc and shipping it in time to recognize the revenue this quarter.

So time is absolutely not standing still.

Far from it.

The moments are clearly ticking away for the planet, and so many innovative technology companies are working around the clock in an effort to tackle the biggest and most daunting energy challenges the world will ever face. It may take awhile, but in the end, a number of these efforts will come to fruition and we’ll ultimately succeed in this Earth-saving endeavor.