This month’s Climate Change Chronicles bears witness to July 2023 going down in history as a tipping point in human awareness of the effects of global warming that can no longer be denied as the planet crosses over into an era of accelerating climate change. Yet, despite all the unsettling news, global carbon emissions are showing signs of slowing due to the work of countless scientists, engineers, activists, policy experts, government agencies and other professionals around the world, including those working to green PLM and NPD.

So many climate records were broken this month that climate scientists began stating the obvious: global warming and climate change is accelerating and has entered into new unprecedented, unchartered territory which the world is ill prepared to handle. Floods, fires, droughts, water shortages, and deadly heat are fueling concurrent crises and disasters across the world as the planet is on track to exceed an increase of over 5 degrees F.

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The latest Climate Change Chronicles from the PLM Green Global Alliance provides a quick-to-scan digest of news, both good and bad, from around the world during May 2023 about the changing climate and its impact on people and the planet.

While there is increasing good news about the race to decarbonize the global economy, I am often asked if all the bad climate news does not distress me into despair.

No, it serves to motivate me further to do more NOW as I sincerely hope it does others.

Like many PLM Green participants, I was educated (long ago) as an aerospace engineer who was motivated by identifying and analyzing problems. And now ending my career as a business consultant concerned about the future of humanity and our planet, I am more motivated to help promote engineering solutions to the most challenging sustainability obstacle our generation has created and leaves behind to others, climate change.

This includes the most important uses of PLM-enabling technologies that PLM professionals will likely ever see in our careers.

Our good news question of the month: what European country announced that 80% of all new car sales last year were electric vehicles? Read on to find out and learn what else might have been missed in your own news feeds.

For additional news about the role of PLM-enabling technologies in creating a more sustainable low-carbon circular economy, subscribe to the PLM & Sustainability Newsletter (soon to be restarted) then join our PLM Green LinkedIn Group for community discussion.

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