Committee on Design

The COVID economic slowdown cut global emissions by 1.8 billion metric tons in 2020, more than a 5% decrease. The 1980 recession accounted for a cumulative savings of more than 6% for three years relative to 1979. Emissions decreased in the recessions of 1974, 1991 and 2009 as well. The tie between consumer consumption and emissions is undeniable-especially for the carbon footprint of purchases and activity. A correlation to consider.

While electrification and the use of clean energy advance, we are still far from reducing annual emissions-far from slowing the rate of global warming. Although the IEA Global Energy Review reported that 80% of growth in 2024's electricity generation came from Clean Energy, an exceptional gain, the benefit pales in comparative magnitude to the total electricity generated. Growth in Clean electricity barely exceeded 3% of the total electricity generated. Nearly 60% of the world's total electricity was still generated from fossil fuel.

And sadly, electricity was only part of global energy consumption, less than a fifth of the world's Total Energy Supply-87% of which was generated from fossil fuel. In 2024, nearly 36 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide were released to the atmosphere from energy generation, 30% greater than 2004, more than double that of 1974.

According to EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, the 12-month period through August 2025 has already exceeded 1.5°C, and if the 30-year warming trend continues, global warming could reach the official 1.5°C mark as early as May 2029. To slow the pace of warming, annual emission must stop increasing, bucking the 50-year trend. Regrettably, global electrification and carbon-free power are decades from inducing the downward trend needed, especially in light of increasing energy demands.

Achieving that feat through electrification and clean energy alone, requires enormous resources and financing that lack consistent political will. To buy time to decarbonize, near-term action is needed from all of us to reduce the upfront emissions impacting us now, rapidly warming the planet toward 2°C.

As the economic driver of final demand through our power of choice, all of us influence our supply chain's manufacturing emissions. We influence the materials, products and services selected-their composition and magnitude. The onus is on us.