Markus Tacke calls on students to study science to help halt climate change
Madrid / 18 October 2019
The number of workers in the wind industry must grow significantly for it to be able to grow and meet the incredible challenge before it. And in order for this to happen, young people must be encouraged to choose studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and be attracted to pursuing a career in the renewable energy industry.
That was the message that Siemens Gamesa CEO Markus Tacke recently delivered during the presentation of KPMG's study ‘The socioeconomic impacts of wind energy in the context of the energy transition’ in Madrid.
The lack of specialized professionals and the shortage of students studying science-based careers "is really concerning as we are entering a new era of technological and digital transformation and we have so much to do in fighting climate change," said Tacke.
Given that climate change is provoking not only natural, but also human disasters, the CEO called for a unified response in all areas and around the world. "The solution to climate change is inside of us. We just need the will to do it. The sum of our efforts will make it happen," he added.
In his view, the industry has the technological means to move from an energy system of scarcity and heavy reliance on fossil fuels to one of potential abundance for almost every country around the world.
To this end, he acknowledged that wind energy is already cost competitive with fossil fuels, due to new manufacturing methods and bigger, better, more efficient turbines. In addition, it has the potential to mitigate wider socio-economic concerns, reducing air pollution and alleviating competition over scarce natural resources.
Even so, Tacke stressed the need for political will to create a sustained and coherent framework, as well as long-term strategies and investments to make those ambitious plans reality.
“Financial incentives and clear policies are still important to encourage investment in renewables by reducing investors’ risk and compensating for high capital costs," he said.
The world belongs to visionaries. Be one of them. Work for the change. Show us how. Because we are living in challenging times, and every talent we lose, is a loss to all of us
This reduction would have real benefits for society, saving up to four million lives a year and reducing health-related costs by up to $3.2 trillion a year.
Around the world, one billion people still do not have access to electricity and 2.7 billion have no access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking. With an ambitious energy transition, universal access to both electricity and clean cooking would be achieved within a decade.