In October 2022, Johnson Controls Chairman and CEO George Oliver discussed the importance of “Committing to Net Zero” at the Toronto Global Forum (TGF) 2022. The TGF was organized by the International Economic Forum of the Americas, which encourages dialogue on national and global issues.

Creating energy-efficient environments is particularly critical, as the buildings sector accounts for almost 40% of the world’s carbon footprint. And as the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, Johnson Controls has the solutions and services to help customers achieve their sustainability goals.

Oliver emphasized that to combat climate change and protect the planet, organizations must decarbonize buildings, and they must do it urgently:

“To get ultimately to the net zero commitments that have been made, you’ve got to address buildings,” Oliver said. “We not only provide building systems, but we also provide building technologies that combine together result ultimately what delivers significant efficiency and reduction of energy. So, our definition of decarbonization is electrification and digitalization.”

One way customers can achieve greater electrification is through through heat pump technology, which is part of the Johnson Controls portfolio of solutions. Heat pumps are electric and can heat buildings and water to drastically reduce fossil fuel usage. These pumps also work to pull energy from the air, water and ground to create more efficient energy generation.

Another Johnson Controls solution that is critical for decarbonization is the OpenBlue digital platform, that according to Oliver, “fundamentally changes how a building operates.” This platform takes every system within a building and transforms it into one system that communicates with the entire building and uses data to create better outcomes. This allows Johnson Controls to work with customers to meet their decarbonization goals and generate energy savings of up to 50%.

Watch George Oliver’s full comments at the Toronto Global Forum here.