Top Reasons to Have Hope for the Future in 2024

For the fourth year in a row (2021, 2022, 2023), we invite you to look beyond the negative headlines to uncover the top reasons to have hope for a brighter future.

In this edition, we deliver you the important news and reactions to the Dec. 2023 climate conference in Dubai and bring you the latest breakthroughs and events from around the world that are making a difference.

There was no shortage of drama as the 2023 annual United Nations climate conference, COP28, kicked off in Dubai. From U.S. President Joe Biden skipping the meeting to its location in a “petrostate,” with an oil company CEO, Sultan Al Jaber, chairing the meeting, it got off to a rocky start.

However, despite all the drama the event did end on a historic high note. After days of contentious negotiations, for the first time ever, diplomats from nearly 200 countries agreed to a pact that calls for “transitioning away from fossil fuels” like oil, gas, and coal that are heating the planet. Bill McKibben, environmental activist and founder of 350.org, said that those words were enough to make this year’s talks a success.

McKibben says what makes the language so important is that it now becomes a tool for climate activists to wield in achieving their goals.

“Whilst we didn’t turn the page on the fossil fuel era in Dubai, this outcome is the beginning of the end,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell in his closing speech. “Now all governments and businesses need to turn these pledges into real-economy outcomes, without delay.”

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), heat pumps have the potential to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions by at least 500 million tonnes in 2030–equal to the annual carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions of all cars in Europe today. Their remarkable efficiency makes heat pumps a key pillar of electrification, which is necessary for the world to wean itself off fossil fuels.

Rebates and tax incentives in Europe, the United States, and Canada have led to a spike in sales over the past two years. In the U.S. heat pump purchases now exceed those of gas furnaces for the first time. Nevertheless, heat pumps currently meet just 10% of global heating demand. The IEA says that number will need to triple by 2030 to get on track with net-zero emissions by 2050.

Learn more about heat pumps in our recent blog post.

One solution is to capture it. Direct air capture (DAC) is a coming-of-age technology that extracts carbon dioxide directly from the air and stores it. The challenge with this method of reducing carbon dioxide is that it is expensive. Our atmosphere is enormous and carbon dioxide “only” makes up 0.04% of the composition of air. This is a lot when it comes to greenhouse gases, but challenging and expensive when it comes to purifying our gigantic atmosphere.

So, who would pay for this way to reduce carbon dioxide in our air if it is expensive? The answer is industries that are big emitters of greenhouse gases but which cannot easily reduce their carbon emissions in the short term and need a way to purchase carbon removal credits if they are to continue in business.

Examples of two such industries are the cement industry and the airline industry. Experts say, these industries will find it difficult, if not impossible, to reduce some of their greenhouse gases in the short term without direct air capture. It will be more cost-effective for them to allow some CO₂ emissions and then clean them up with DAC.

Some critics are concerned that DAC may divert attention away from other efforts aimed at reducing emissions. However, policymakers in the United States and across the globe have deemed it a worthwhile investment. In August 2023, the Biden administration announced US$1.2 billion to help companies build commercial DAC plants in Texas and Louisiana.

In the short term, DAC can help offset carbon emissions from challenging-to-address industry sectors. But its long-term potential is much greater. As the technology matures and scales, DAC holds the promise to significantly reduce CO₂ in the atmosphere once all other efforts to cut emissions are exhausted.

Climate activists who did travel to COP28 in the United Arab Emirates complained about restrictions imposed on their right to protest in a country where public protest is expressly forbidden. Despite the chilly atmosphere and the hurdles faced by activists at COP28, there were some rare moments where activists were able to make their voices heard on the international stage.

Licypriya Kangujam, a 12-year-old environmental activist from India, walked onto the main stage at the conference holding up a sign, “End fossil fuels. Save our planet and our future,” while demanding governments act now to phase out coal, oil and gas.

In her childhood, Kangujam has grappled with New Delhi’s air pollution and experienced her family’s home in the eastern state of Odisha being hit by two cyclones. As she was being escorted away, on-stage dignitaries praised her enthusiasm, and she was given a round of applause. Kangujam was then banned from further participation in COP28.

Greg Fyke, ecobee’s president, commented, “Climate change and clean energy have become topical with younger generations. It comes up with my kids, expressed as a concern about our future—and their future. We have a great responsibility to act now to improve the sustainability of our planet and pave the path towards cleaner sources of energy. Together, we can enable this next generation of leaders to help realize a more sustainable future.”

The fossil fuel and associated industries enjoyed US$7 trillion in subsidies in 2022, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Angered by a report that the Dutch government spends US$41 billion (€37.5 billion euros) in subsidies on industries that use oil, coal, and gas, an estimated 10,000 protesters broke through a police barricade and sat on the main road in The Hague that leads to the Dutch parliament.

A month later the country’s lawmakers approved a motion requiring the Dutch Cabinet to develop a plan to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. Two months later at COP28, a Dutch-led coalition of 12 countries, including Canada, France, and Spain, announced a joint plan to create an inventory of their own subsidies within a year with an eye to creating a strategy to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies.

"We cannot phase out fossil fuels without tackling fossil fuel subsidies," said Dutch climate minister Rob Jetten at the U.N. climate summit COP28 in Dubai. "We must ensure the right economic incentives are in place."

Many oil wells are in places where there is no gas pipeline and so they flare the gas associated with drilling, releasing methane. Methane leaks in natural gas infrastructure are another major problem. And massive leaks, known as super-emitter events, take place at oil and gas facilities all around the world. With new ways to now monitor these super-emitter events, there has been steadily growing pressure for the oil and gas industry to clean up its act.

The IEA says that natural gas has a role to play in the transition away from more polluting fuels, but the industry must first address “immediate and major reductions in methane emissions.” It estimates an annual investment of around US$11 billion is needed for methane abatement in the oil and gas sectors. The measures would pay for themselves as the value of the captured methane is higher than the cost of the annual investment.

As part of the COP28 climate conference, 50 of the largest oil and gas companies pledged to all but eliminate methane emissions associated with their operations by 2030.

While some groups decried the agreement as greenwashing, the IEA and the Environmental Defense Fund signed on to monitor the industry’s efforts.

ecobee's mission is "To improve everyday life while creating a more sustainable world."

“We take a holistic approach to sustainability,” says Greg Fyke, ecobee’s president. “This means that our products do more than save energy. We consider sustainability in all aspects of our work, from how we design and manufacture our products to be ‘built to last’ with industry-leading warranties to how we package and ship them. We also select partners who share this commitment.”

This kind of thinking has resulted in a complete revamp of the packaging for our latest-generation thermostats, for example. Our thermostats ship in a fully compostable 100% tapioca starch tray inside a fully recyclable FSC-certified box. The tapioca is sourced near our manufacturing facility, reducing transportation in our supply chain. Additionally, the packaging is 30% smaller than the previous box, which means a 30% reduction in fossil fuels needed to ship the new products to our customers.

We also ensure that rare earth elements such as tin and gold are sourced ethically and seek to avoid the use of lithium-ion batteries, which can be difficult to recycle. When their use is essential, we make removing and recycling lithium-ion batteries simple.

Devices that do more.

Our devices are built to do more and intelligently work better together, both to deliver greater customer value and to reduce the environmental impact. Here's how:

• SmartSensors - ecobee SmartSensors make the home more comfortable by managing hot or cold spots and work as motion sensors for our security system, ecobee Smart Security.
• SmartSensors for doors and windows - Our door and window sensors can automatically shut off your HVAC system to conserve energy and protect your home from intrusion.
• Smart Thermostats - Our Smart Thermostats are designed to optimize comfort in your home but can also arm and disarm the ecobee Smart Security system from the touchscreen.
• Smart Thermostat Premium - Smart Thermostat Premium incorporates a microphone that not only enables built-in voice control for popular assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri but also the ability to detect smoke alarms to keep your home and family safe.

Fyke expresses optimism for the future of the smart home and its ability to have a positive impact on sustainability: “We’re seeing an increasing number of people replace legacy thermostats with ecobee smart thermostats. Every new smart home matters because it not only delivers incremental energy savings of up to 26%^* but also helps reduce peak demand on the utility grid, enabling the use of cleaner sources of energy.”

That’s what we call a win-win!