Last year brought us record-breaking wildfires, floods and hurricanes, during a global pandemic. These devastating events are a stark reminder that climate change is not an issue that can wait, but one we must address now.
In a recent report by the U.S. National Security, Military and Intelligence Panel (NSMIP) climate change is described as one of the most pressing threats to national and global security. Economic instability, infrastructure risks, decreased water supplies, and social unrest are named as a few of the potential outcomes of the climate change trajectory we are on today.
Tackling climate change requires a global effort, from governments, businesses, communities, and individuals. Governments and businesses are in a particularly impactful position to drive positive change. Some of the key steps the public and private sectors can take include:
- Making climate change a national security priority
- Developing critical infrastructure resilience against climate change risks
- Every organization committing to rapidly achieving net zero emissions
- Investing in technologies that help solve sustainability challenges
Only a concerted agenda and effort from governments and businesses will deliver the movement required to reverse the impact of our actions that have led to the climate catastrophe we face today.
As a technology and a security company, BlackBerry recognizes the key role we have in addressing climate change. Our commitments and initiatives, built in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, include:
- Pledges to be carbon neutral and to eliminate the use of single-use plastics this year
- Investments in technologies that enable sustainability, such as our BlackBerry® QNX software that powers electric vehicles
- Developing solutions to enable national security and critical infrastructure resilience, such as our BlackBerry® AtHoc software for critical event management
- Partnerships with public and private sector organizations, including universities, to advance national and global sustainability solutions and targets
The climate change goals we need to accomplish as a global community, for our security and that of future generations, are ambitious. The past few months have shown us that we are capable of rapid and drastic change, with a unified effort on a global scale.
