We are in the midst of a climate crisis and it’s going to take the efforts of everyone, especially the government, to tackle the environmental, economic, and social impacts to create a more sustainable future.
Climate change affects everything. The planet is on a path to a 2.7 °C temperature rise by the end of this century and Australia is already experiencing higher temperatures, more extreme droughts, fire seasons, floods and increasingly intense weather. Melting glaciers in the poles are adding to the intensity of high-sea-level events and threatening housing and infrastructure.
Every credible scientific prediction model shows worse is to come, no matter what we do.
As the full implications of the crisis become more apparent to more people, the most urgent actions, understandably and appropriately, are focused on changing what we consume and how we consume it.
But as the low hanging fruit of quick action is ticked off, the next big focus will be both on the installed base of assets and how we make decisions about future asset investments.
There are two reasons climate change will demand we become much more sophisticated about how we manage our assets.
Firstly, there is the old axiom, you can’t fix what you can’t measure. The next wave of actions to cut carbon emissions must be focused on the “background” emissions from the installed infrastructure base and how we can reduce that.
The second imperative is resilience. As extreme events put more stress on our infrastructure, we need to be able to quickly adapt our asset maintenance and replacement practices to ensure they remain functional and safe.
Asset management technology can help Australia achieve its carbon goals
There is a powerful business case to support modern asset management practices and systems even aside from the climate challenge. Asset management software helps governments develop, operate, maintain, upgrade, and dispose of important assets in an effective and efficient way. Producing asset management plans that are reflective of the performance of their asset base and aligned with financial strategies and corporate objectives is essential, and a systemised approach based on a central and reliable enterprise data set is key to achieving this.
But buildings, vehicles, and other equipment the government owns and operates are also major sources of carbon emissions. The Australian government has a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to between 26% and 28% below 2005 levels by 2030. By implementing energy-efficient practices and technologies, the government can significantly reduce its energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
The times demand for a comprehensive asset management strategy using asset management software.
Global ERP provider TechnologyOne has been helping governments with their emission-reducing efforts using asset management technology for a number of years.
“Our Enterprise Asset Management product plays a critical role in government’s sustainability efforts by reducing the environmental impact of government assets throughout their lifecycle,” says David Forman, Government Industry Leader, TechnologyOne.
“It helps governments make more informed decisions about asset acquisition, like selecting assets with higher energy efficiency, longer lifetimes, and reduced waste,” Forman says.
A government’s sustainability decisions demand that a consistent, accurate, and valid set of asset data is maintained, and asset management software can help by automating and digitising the process of collecting, storing, managing, analysing, and reporting asset performance through the sustainability lens.
Taking into account the energy efficiency and environmental impact of new assets, governments can make more sustainable investment decisions and reduce their carbon footprint over time. Asset management can help with this by assessing the condition and performance of existing assets and determining when they need to be replaced or renewed.
Planning for Australia’s future with asset management technology
Asset management software can also help governments gain a better understanding of how infrastructure decisions affect the quality of life in communities and can base management and maintenance decisions on the risk they pose to residents, the environment and the local economy.
With the help of asset management software, the government sector can track and report accurately on their sustainability efforts, providing valuable information for internal decision-making and public disclosure. This is achieved by setting up relevant data points to collect and report on sustainability performance.
“Using our Enterprise Asset Management software with sustainability in mind, governments can make more informed decisions about their assets, reduce their environmental impact, and ultimately contribute to a more sustainable future,” says David Forman, Government Industry Leader, TechnologyOne.
TechnologyOne’s Enterprise Asset Management solution allows you to make informed, evidence-based asset investment decisions with rich, comprehensive data insights to guide you. Get a better understanding of the value of your assets with proven degradation models and make strategic asset decisions to fulfil your longer-term infrastructure objectives.
Discover a system that offers you one single source of truth here.
