In a panel session at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP18 in Doha, Qatar, Barbara Kux, a member of the Managing Board and Chief Sustainability Officer at Siemens AG, addressed the Secretary-General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, and emphasized the essential role of the technology sector in developing a low-carbon future.

Addressing COP18's Caring 4 Climate session, Kux said that every country requires a different technical solution to reduce emissions, and that each must select the right technology mix from a range of solutions developed by innovative businesses like Siemens .

"Differentiated local solutions and implementation are essential, and this is where businesses can really make a difference. It's our job to develop and implement best-in-class technology, and it's this business innovation that lifts solutions to the next level. It's for this reason that Siemens continues to invest more than 5 percent of revenues per year in research and development - approximately EUR4 billion," Kux said.

"Each company needs to recognize the benefits of going low-carbon and we - those committed businesses - must continue to create awareness. Businesses must tell their own success stories. For instance, Siemens has increased its CO2 efficiency by 22 percent between 2006 and 2011, and last year solutions from our Environmental Portfolio reduced our customers' CO2 emissions by more than 330 million tonnes - roughly the equivalent of six times the annual emissions of New York City."

Siemens , which recently developed the world's largest wind turbine with a rotor diameter of 154 meters, has an extensive Environmental Portfolio which accounted for EUR33 billion of revenue for the company in fiscal 2012 - an increase of 10 percent compared with the previous year. In addition to a strong renewables business, Siemens has also developed technologies that bring increased efficiency and lower emissions to established infrastructure, including advanced processes for the generation of power from fossil fuels.

Kux added: "Technologies that save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions help to grow the economy too. This is the future and once the right targets are set and policy frameworks are in place to accelerate the race for sustainability, businesses will adapt, innovate and follow even faster with the right solutions."

A key regional example of the implementation of energy-efficient technologies in new infrastructure is the recently announced Education City Tram project in Doha. Siemens will supply a turnkey rail system that will be the Middle East region's most efficient, featuring 19 Avenio trams with hybrid energy storage systems that can reduce energy consumption by 30 percent, compared to conventional systems.

In 2012 Siemens was ranked 'Supersector Leader' in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the first time in the company's history, leading the category 'Industrial Goods and Services'.

"Sustainability must be driven by innovation and companies such as Siemens , with innovation and technology development at their heart, are the key to facing present and future climate change challenges," Kux said.

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