The world’s population has grown so large that our activities are affecting the Earth’s ecosystems in significant and often harmful ways that are simply not sustainable. Thus, it’s imperative for people to come together to find methods to reduce humanity’s negative impacts on the natural world, and to do so as quickly as possible.
That’s why the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA), the global, consensus-building standards development organization (SDO) of IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity, launched the IEEE Planet Positive 2030 Initiative.
It is a collaborative, multidisciplinary effort that aims to identify and recommend pragmatic, sustainable technology solutions to lessen humanity’s impact on the planet. It builds on the experience of IEEE members and participating nonmembers in identifying and judging the potential positive and negative impacts, including unintended consequences, of how technologies are applied.
As an IEEE-wide effort, and as part of the IEEE’s Sustainable Infrastructures and Community Development program, IEEE Planet Positive 2030 brings together the expertise and perspectives of technologists, economists, sociologists, educators, policy-makers and others to identify sustainable and practical technology solutions.
Specific goals include reducing global greenhouse gas emissions by 50% of the recorded GHG emissions in 2005 by 2030; increasing the resilience and regeneration of the earth’s ecosystems; and informing policy and decision-making.
Its very name captures the essence of the initiative:
- Planet: The focus, because the Earth needs to be protected for future generations of people and nature to flourish.
- Positive: The purpose, to use technology to give back more to the planet than is removed, and not harm the biosphere.
- 2030: The urgent timeframe, to inspire responsible, bold, holistic thinking for workable solutions, standards, and policies.
Practical, Impactful Deliverables
Currently, the IEEE Planet Positive 2030 initiative is focused on two deliverables.
The first is a compendium that will be an essential resource for effective sustainability practices. Titled Strong Sustainability by Design: Prioritizing ecosystem and human flourishing with technology-based solutions, it is based on the work of more than 200 contributing participants from over 30 countries working in diverse fields including engineering, economics, agriculture, the arts, and more. The transdisciplinary, collaborative and cooperative nature of the committees that have been working on this document for more than two years is intentional. Creating advanced technology is great. However, to successfully implement and deploy it, the technical solution needs to not only be appropriate to the problem to be addressed, but also fit with the culture of the community where it is deployed, be socially acceptable, be economically feasible, and sustainable (not negatively impacting the environment). That is why we used an ecosystems-based approach. Looking at many elements of an ecosystem from different points of view (multi-stakeholder, different backgrounds) helps create better recommendations.
This transformational document identifies specific issues and topics in key areas and gives practical recommendations for addressing them, featuring real-world applications. It is available for download from the IEEE Planet Positive 2030 website.
The second IEEE Planet Positive 2030 deliverable, Accountable Sustainability by Design, is currently under development. It is an impact accountability and assessment framework, intended as a resource for business and community leaders and policy-makers to help them assess current ‘situations’, identify issues, evaluate scenarios and potential solutions.
Future IEEE Planet Positive 2030 work will encompass:
- New standards proposals based on yet to be identified needs (e.g. carbon credits, hydrogen-related topics), along with associated educational modules (both workforce- and general education-oriented).
- Documents and standards proposals providing specific guidance on sustainable best practices, oriented towards engineers/academics.
- Support for corporate sustainability practices, such as a survey to gather input on corporate practices and opportunities for IEEE to provide guidance and education.
- P7800™ Recommended Practice for Addressing Sustainability, Environmental Stewardship and Climate Change Challenges in Professional Practice
- P7801™ Recommended Practice for Technical Knowledge Commons Initiatives and Platforms
IEEE Planet Positive 2030 Communities
IEEE Planet Positive 2030 has also recently created The IEEE Planet Positive 2030 Communities Committee to serve as an accelerator program for long-term growth between participating Communities and local academic, business, and policy experts, along with local citizens and IEEE volunteer experts. The city of Miami will launch as the first Pilot Community in early 2025.
As IEEE Planet Positive 2030 was created by the IEEE Standards Association, a key goal of the Communities Committee is to identify proposals for Standards projects and related opportunities focused on sustainability and climate change. We aim to do this while helping to deepen the relevance of existing Standards Projects by including local business leaders, policymakers, and citizens of specific global regions to provide deeper context for standards to increase the potential for their adoption, use, and scale.
IEEE Planet Positive 2030 serves as the IEEE’s focal point for coordination with outside groups that share a similar agenda. With that in mind, in early 2025, IEEE Planet Positive 2030 members will take part in a panel session and workshop called Imagine the Future We Can Build Together alongside key Miami-based municipal, academic, non-profit, and other stakeholders, including the Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience, Miami Dade College Earth Ethics Institute, and non-profits Accountable Impact, Waterfront Alliance, and VolunteerCleanup.Org.
Speakers and participants will holistically address issues of extreme heat, water, and waste reduction in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to develop a pragmatic vision for a cooler climate and more resilient Miami community.
The Planet Needs You – Get Involved!
This vital work can’t proceed without the experience, dedication, and technical or non-technical knowledge of people like you. Participation also offers the opportunity to work with like-minded people on projects that can help the planet.
Author: Maike Luiken, Chair of the IEEE Planet Positive 2030 Initiative
