On the Road to Sustainability – Leverage Progress to Shape a Greener Future
In the meantime, the situation has become much more serious. We now know that we are directly responsible for protecting the environment and the climate and that it is high time to act, otherwise our grandchildren will be in deep trouble. The future of the Earth is also our future, and it is in our hands to shape the world in which coming generations will live.
I am proud to work for a company that was among the first ones to make this responsibility the central anchor point of its strategy. And as CEO of Generali Deutschland first and recently of Generali DACH, I will do everything in my power to drive sustainable change in my remit, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The numerous natural catastrophes and climate disasters of the recent past have clearly shown us that one of the greatest challenges of our time is anthropogenic climate change, and the many images of storm damage, floods, forest fires, dried-out fields and unusually large hailstones have shown us that it has long since arrived here in DACH and Europe.
In 2023, thunderstorm losses in Europe hit a record high at above 9 billion euros. Thunders and hailstorms were particularly felt in the Alpine region in July and August. Heavy floods hit northern Italy in May, while northern Germany suffered from flooding during Christmas time[1]. When I started my career with Generali, such events were something out of the ordinary, now they occur regularly and several times a year. After the Ahr valley floods in 2021, which unfortunately claimed around 220 human lives[2], Germany is extremely attentive of weather-related disasters and Generali, as the country´s third-largest insurer, is at the forefront in prevention and mitigation measures. Even from a global perspective, it is clear that the rapid warming of the climate – 2023 was by far the hottest year on record[3] – has the potential of generating more disasters. Experts point out that, on top of the significant environmental damage, this phenomenon also has a remarkable social cost, especially on weaker communities and minorities[4].
But waiting for governmental measures and bold political solutions is no longer an option. We all have to ask ourselves as individuals the question: how can I and how do I want to live in the future, in heated cities and in the drought-stricken countryside? Given the increasing severity of natural disasters and climate extremes, it is essential that we utilise scientific insights and technological progress to create more resilient systems. That means not only defending against immediate impacts, but also developing long-term strategies to deal with the inevitable changes in a sustainable way. It is about climate-adapted construction, sustainable agriculture, the promotion of renewable energies – no longer acting against nature but in harmony with it. But most of all, it is about how I will contribute.
Two examples of technological progress applied to climate change adaptation come from some “Sustainability Heroes” in my region – the small-medium enterprises that participated in the SME EnterPrize initiative. “e.battery systems”, from Austria, has devised a way to repurpose used electric and hybrid car batteries as energy storage systems. “Pervormance”, from Germany, has developed “smart” fibres that allow textiles to cool the humans and animals wearing them, which is especially useful in the hot summer days.
As a major insurer, we can provide important incentives here with our products and investments. However, it is also the shared obligation of each and every one of us to protect nature and the planet that is our only home. Of course, no one can save the world just by doing their little bit, but it is the many small steps that everyone is able to take that can really make a difference overall. Let me give you an example. As a Generali manager, I travel a lot – including by car. Reducing my CO2 emissions here by reducing the use of flights and using an electric car was the logical decision, which I made two years ago. I was sceptical at first: will I find it easy to charge the batteries of my car, will I have to put up with longer journey times? And so on. In the end, I decided to go beyond these questions: let's make it happen. And I haven't regretted it! As my friend Reinhold Messner once said: sustainability is not a matter of governments or politicians, but of individual behaviour, and I still believe that this is the right answer.
Because it will take a joint effort if we are to succeed in leaving our children and grandchildren a world worth living in.
[1] Source: https://www.munichre.com/en/company/media-relations/media-information-and-corporate-news/media-information/2024/natural-disaster-figures-2023.html
[2] Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/13/floods-then-and-now-photographs-germany-ahr-valley-flooding-disaster-july-2021
[3] Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - U.S. Department of Commerce
[4] Source: https://weltrisikobericht.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/WRR_2023_english_online161023.pdf
Read the article in original language
On the Road to Sustainability – Leverage Progress to Shape a Greener Future
I have always had a deep fascination for technical progress – that is why I became an engineer. And one thing that I realised already during my studies at the Politecnico in Milan was that environmental pollution and the overexploitation of natural resources are a threat to our planet.
In the meantime, the situation has become much more serious. We now know that we are directly responsible for protecting the environment and the climate and that it is high time to act, otherwise our grandchildren will be in deep trouble. The future of the Earth is also our future, and it is in our hands to shape the world in which coming generations will live.
I am proud to work for a company that was among the first ones to make this responsibility the central anchor point of its strategy. And as CEO of Generali Deutschland first and recently of Generali DACH, I will do everything in my power to drive sustainable change in my remit, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The numerous natural catastrophes and climate disasters of the recent past have clearly shown us that one of the greatest challenges of our time is anthropogenic climate change, and the many images of storm damage, floods, forest fires, dried-out fields and unusually large hailstones have shown us that it has long since arrived here in DACH and Europe.
In 2023, thunderstorm losses in Europe hit a record high at above 9 billion euros. Thunders and hailstorms were particularly felt in the Alpine region in July and August. Heavy floods hit northern Italy in May, while northern Germany suffered from flooding during Christmas time[1]. When I started my career with Generali, such events were something out of the ordinary, now they occur regularly and several times a year. After the Ahr valley floods in 2021, which unfortunately claimed around 220 human lives[2], Germany is extremely attentive of weather-related disasters and Generali, as the country´s third-largest insurer, is at the forefront in prevention and mitigation measures. Even from a global perspective, it is clear that the rapid warming of the climate – 2023 was by far the hottest year on record[3] – has the potential of generating more disasters. Experts point out that, on top of the significant environmental damage, this phenomenon also has a remarkable social cost, especially on weaker communities and minorities[4].
But waiting for governmental measures and bold political solutions is no longer an option. We all have to ask ourselves as individuals the question: how can I and how do I want to live in the future, in heated cities and in the drought-stricken countryside? Given the increasing severity of natural disasters and climate extremes, it is essential that we utilise scientific insights and technological progress to create more resilient systems. That means not only defending against immediate impacts, but also developing long-term strategies to deal with the inevitable changes in a sustainable way. It is about climate-adapted construction, sustainable agriculture, the promotion of renewable energies – no longer acting against nature but in harmony with it. But most of all, it is about how I will contribute.
Two examples of technological progress applied to climate change adaptation come from some “Sustainability Heroes” in my region – the small-medium enterprises that participated in the SME EnterPrize initiative. “e.battery systems”, from Austria, has devised a way to repurpose used electric and hybrid car batteries as energy storage systems. “Pervormance”, from Germany, has developed “smart” fibres that allow textiles to cool the humans and animals wearing them, which is especially useful in the hot summer days.
As a major insurer, we can provide important incentives here with our products and investments. However, it is also the shared obligation of each and every one of us to protect nature and the planet that is our only home. Of course, no one can save the world just by doing their little bit, but it is the many small steps that everyone is able to take that can really make a difference overall. Let me give you an example. As a Generali manager, I travel a lot – including by car. Reducing my CO2 emissions here by reducing the use of flights and using an electric car was the logical decision, which I made two years ago. I was sceptical at first: will I find it easy to charge the batteries of my car, will I have to put up with longer journey times? And so on. In the end, I decided to go beyond these questions: let's make it happen. And I haven't regretted it! As my friend Reinhold Messner once said: sustainability is not a matter of governments or politicians, but of individual behaviour, and I still believe that this is the right answer.
Because it will take a joint effort if we are to succeed in leaving our children and grandchildren a world worth living in.
[1] Source: https://www.munichre.com/en/company/media-relations/media-information-and-corporate-news/media-information/2024/natural-disaster-figures-2023.html
[2] Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/13/floods-then-and-now-photographs-germany-ahr-valley-flooding-disaster-july-2021
[3] Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - U.S. Department of Commerce
[4] Source: https://weltrisikobericht.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/WRR_2023_english_online161023.pdf