Technology will play a significant role as we pursue efforts to meet the challenge of climate change.
Galiana WithSecure’s skipper Tapio Lehtinen has sailed around the world two and a half times. The first time was in 1981-82 as a watch captain onboard the first Finnish project Skopbank of Finland, the second time was single-handed in the Golden Globe Race 2018-19, and the third attempt in the GGR in 2022, dramatically ending with the sinking of his boat.
There were nearly 40 years between the first and the second time, and he could not help but noticing firsthand how nature had changed: there were fewer birds, fewer sea mammals, and fewer fish. After his return, he learned this results from overfishing, pollution, and, most importantly, climate change. This set the theme for his next project: For The Future Of The Planet.
The Ocean generates 50 % of the oxygen we need, absorbs 25 % of all carbon dioxide emissions and captures 90 % of the excess heat generated by these emissions. It is not just ‘the lungs of the planet’ but also its largest ‘carbon sink’ – a vital buffer against the impacts of climate change.
United Nations, Climate Action
There are many people and organisations out there bringing the problems to our attention. As an engineer and a firm believer in technology, Tapio felt his role could be to bring up the good news, so he decided he wanted to “partner with companies and organisations that are part of the solution as we move towards a carbon neutral circular economy”. As the problems are complex, there is no single or simple solution. Instead, it’s a combination of many solutions that drive us towards a more sustainable economy.
Quuppa is a good example of such a “sub-solution” or enabler. At first glance, it’s not obvious how location technology can help fight global warming and climate change. However, the primary reasons for our customers to use our technology include reducing waste, saving energy, and optimising processes, which directly contribute to solving the underlying big problem. And, at the same time, making their business more profitable. In today’s world, sustainability and profitability can not be separated, which gives us a lot of hope.
But how does sailing around the world help in solving these problems? As Tapio says, with the project’s publicity, he wants to spread the good news about the solutions. The project has already gained a lot of attention for numerous reasons, which were not all pre-planned or hoped, but as the saying goes, any publicity is good publicity (as long as it’s used for rightful purposes).
Does this work for Quuppa? Does this sailing project help us get more audience for our message? Dear reader, thank you for proving it does.
