With wildfires, torrential floods, parched reservoirs, and other dramatic signs that the climate crisis is upon us, we would all like to flip a switch and stop our carbon emissions so that we can save the planet for our children. But in a world full of fossil-fuelled machines (and regulations that support them), it’s hard for many people to imagine the pathway to achieving net-zero emissions in time to keep global heating under 1.5–2.0degrees C above pre-industrial levels. But that pathway can be simply stated: electrify (almost) everything.

It’s time to demystify decarbonisation so that we understand what we need to do to switch our economy from one that relies on fossil fuels to one powered by clean electricity. This requires understanding the machines we use, their energy needs, and how, and how quickly, we can transition those machines to ones that are fuelled by renewable energy (predominantly wind and solar).

Australia can be the world’s foundry, we can make the world’s ammonia and hydrogen, and we could even store the world’s carbon in rebuilding our soils through agricultural sequestration.

We will create savings in our suburbs, and jobs in our regions and show the world the pathway to whole-economy success. The time has come for action; the time has come to lead. As a small nation of hard-working, quiet achievers with everything to win, and everything to lose, we should go first, and we should go fastest. Let’s do this, for our children and for ours.

Maintenance and reliability leaders are essential in helping organisations navigate the transition to a more sustainable and climate-resilient future. How do we adapt to these new technologies, optimise energy use, and comply with a changing regulatory landscape in the context of decarbonisation and climate change targets? All disrupting previous lifecycle plans, investment, and reinvestment decisions, asset management strategies and tactics, and the physical asset manager’s role.

• What is the impact on jobs and skills?
• How do we work with regulators and the requirements and environmental standards?
• What measures should asset managers take to account for the risks associated with stranded assets in the context of decarbonisation efforts?
• What about the capacity and resource challenges coming our way with all companies relying on the same suppliers and resources to decarb at the same time?
• What opportunities and challenges will asset managers face in integrating renewable energy sources and clean technologies into their asset management strategies?
• How will the role of the reliability engineers change?