There’s a global effort to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Data has a fundamental role in the decarbonization challenge. It starts with the simple concept that you cannot control what you do not measure. We measure things – energy use, emissions, equipment performance in order to assess their performance.

But the goal of measuring includes more than just installing a sensor and collecting data. The data produced by that sensor needs to be conveyed to a person or device so that it can be used to affect an action that is in alignment with our goal. In other words, the data needs to be actionable.

In some cases that means connecting the data to a control system that will change a setpoint. For higher level functionality we want data to be communicated to other systems, people, and processes where it can be used to make decisions or drive action plans.

We'll review the global net zero goals, how the world is tracking toward those goals, and how actionable data is a crucial piece of ultimately achieving net zero.