Welcome to the Climate Change Corner, a new column dedicated to raising awareness, providing education, and inspiring action on one of the most pressing issues of our time: climate change. As the impacts of climate change become increasingly evident, it is crucial for individuals, communities, and businesses in Lesotho to stay informed and engaged. Our goal is to offer valuable insights, practical advice and inspiring stories to help you understand and address the challenges posed by climate change.

 

Why Climate Change Matters Climate change is not just an environmental issue: it is a global issue that affects every aspect of our lives. From   extreme weather events and rising temperatures to shifts in agricultural productivity and biodiversity loss, the consequences of climate change are far-reaching. In Lesotho communities are already facing the impacts, making it essential for us to act now. The Climate Change Corner aims to be your trusted

source of information and support, helping you navigate this complex issue. What’s in store for you: Each week, the Climate Change Corner will bring you a diverse range of content designed to inform, educate, and inspire.

 

This week we discuss: STANDARDIZATION

 

WHAT IS IT?

Standardization is a central pillar of any QIS, providing clarity and comparability for government, business, consumers and citizens. Standards encode knowledge regarding usability, quality, safety, performance or any other characteristics required by users into technical specifications for products or product components (e.g. dimensions, sizes, formats, tolerances, performances, and interfaces) and their testing, as well as requirements and guidance on best practices for products, services, processes and systems.

 

ISO/IEC Guide 2 defines a standard as a “document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context”. It goes on to say that “standards should be based on the consolidated results of science, technology and experience, and aimed at the promotion of optimum community benefits”.

 

International standards are voluntary in their application, though they can also be used as a basis for or support the application of regulatory requirements and assessments of conformity.

 

The three best-known global standardization entities are IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission), ISO (the International Organization for Standardization), and ITU (the International Telecommunication Union), which under the banner of the WSC (World Standards Cooperation) work together to advance and strengthen the voluntary consensus-based international standards system.

 

Voluntary standards are powerful tools that policymakers can use in addition to or in conjunction with laws and regulations to implement public policy and achieve their objectives. Once international standards are widely disseminated, they can facilitate the reduction of costs and increased efficiency at company level or at national level, thereby promoting improved productivity.

 

In international business, standards provide a common language to harmonize concepts and understanding, and avoid unnecessary differences in requirements between countries, ultimately reducing costs and facilitating trade.

 

HOW DOES STANDARDIZATION SUPPORT CLIMATE ACTION?

By their very nature and their stated objective of achieving “the optimum degree of order in a given context (…) based on the consolidated results of science, technology and experience”, standards offer great support for many sustainability-related initiatives that include environmental management, helping organizations and countries alike to measure and improve their carbon footprint, reduce GHG emissions, make more efficient use of resources such as energy, and move towards “NetZero” capabilities.

 

Some examples include:

IEC

IEC standards together with the four IEC ConformityAssessment (CA) Systems1 provide the technical foundation that allows countries to put in place sustainable, resilient infrastructure to stimulate economic development, innovation and apply global best-practice to manage quality and risk.

 

They are used by technical experts to design, build and manufacture a very broad range of devices and systems used in homes, offices, healthcare facilities, industrial manufacturing, farming and much more. IEC’s work enables all forms of power generation including on-grid and off-grid use of reliable renewable solar, wind, marine and hydro energy generation.

 

Policymakers and regulators lean on IEC International Standards to establish safety, security, and reliability benchmarks for quality infrastructure in diverse fields such as energy generation, water management, sanitation, healthcare and transportation. Leveraging IEC work strengthens governance, enabling legislation to safeguard populations from unsafe products and environmental hazards.

 

IEC International Standards not only enhance national innovation and economic productivity, but also support the adoption of or upgrading/ retrofitting cleaner and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes. IEC CA Systems allow governments to verify that systems are properly installed, manufacturer promises are kept, and consumers are protected from dangerous and counterfeit products.

 

IEC’s work provides the framework for built-in energy efficiency and integrating renewable energy sources into power generation, including solar, wind, marine, and hydro energy. Of particular relevance is the associated IECRE Certification Scheme for Equipment for Use in Renewable Energy Applications.

 

Beyond measuring and assessing energy performance and efficiency, IEC Standards actively help reduce energy consumption and increase the energy efficiency of devices and systems. They allow for building energy efficiency measures directly into devices and support a wide range of energy efficient technologies such as electric motors, LED, plasma welding, electric heating, and heat pumps.

 

To cut global GHG emissions, cleaner transport systems are crucial. Nations worldwide, both developed and developing, are adopting sustainable mobility strategies that extend beyond electric cars. Trains, light rail, underground systems, and electric vehicles (EVs) all contribute to reducing CO2 levels and congestion. The IEC provides technical standards for these systems, including electricity and hydrogen-powered options, as well as for infrastructure, self-driving tech, and in-vehicle multimedia.

 

Furthermore, the IEC’s efforts extend to fostering smart cities through collaboration across technical committees, resulting in the development of thousands of standards that underpin smart energy, water management, mobility, security, healthcare and other essential services. These standards not only serve as a basis for testing and certification, but also enable interoperability and data protection, critical for realizing the potential of technologies like IoT, AI, and VR in urban environments.

 

However, the proliferation of interconnected systems also introduces cybersecurity risks. Electrical installations and power plants form part of the critical infrastructure of countries, and renewable energy systems are increasingly viewed as the weak link in the grid by cyber criminals. Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) technology and human-machine interfaces (HMIs) are now widespread in electric power plants as the latter automatize an increasing number of tasks. SCADA systems are based on large communication networks that reach directly or indirectly into thousands of facilities.

 

To mitigate these threats, the IEC develops standards and frameworks such as ISO/IEC 27001 and IEC 62443, supporting comprehensive cybersecurity strategies that address both IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operational Technology) that are common to critical infrastructure environments. The IEC 62443 series of cybersecurity standards for automation and control systems can be applied to any critical infrastructure facility, such as power utilities, public transport or healthcare units.

 

These horizontal standards establish efficient security processes and procedures that cover the whole value chain, from the manufacturers of automation technology to installers as well as operators. They address and mitigate current security vulnerabilities as well as pre-empt future ones. A cyber-attack on critical infrastructure such as a power plant or a hospital can bring down the whole system and affect people’s physical well-being, and their ability to run a business or obtain basic services such as water, food, or healthcare.

 

Additionally, IEC Standards along with the IEC CA Systems promote the circular economy by guiding environmentally conscious design and controlling hazardous substance usage. A new IEC CA service verifies product carbon footprint declarations to allow companies to avoid accusations of greenwashing.

 

In the realm of manufacturing, IEC standards facilitate smart manufacturing practices that optimize the entire product lifecycle, from design to recycling, while integrating real-time feedback for continuous improvement.

 

In essence, the comprehensive efforts of the IEC, encompassing standards development, conformity assessment, and support for emerging technologies, contribute to building a safer, more sustainable, and more resilient interconnected world.

 

ISO

ISO has long been involved in the development of standards aimed at environmental issues, including climate change adaptation and mitigation (typically those standards in the ISO 14000 series developed by its Technical Committee TC207 for Environmental Management to address environmental and climate impacts, including related social and economic aspects, in support of sustainable development).

 

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM STANDARDS

One of the earliest and most important standards for environmental management is ISO 14001, which defines requirements for an environmental management system. Such a system can help an organization to define and achieve concrete environmental goals and (if needed) to be able to provide confidence to relevant interested parties via accredited certification.

 

ISO has also issued standards on GHG accounting, thus allowing companies to verify their corporate carbon footprint according to the ISO 14064-1 standard. It is also possible to establish the carbon footprint of products or services according to ISO 14067, determining all GHG emissions caused by a product throughout its entire life cycle. Energy management systems (EnMS) can also significantly contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions, as specified in the internationally established ISO 50001 standard. Many organizations introduce EnMS to reduce their energy consumption and increase energy efficiency.

 

In addition to ISO 50001, ISO has published many energy related standards on topics—including measuring energy performance using energy baselines and energy performance indicators; energy efficiency assessment and energy data management for buildings; and design of energy saving family homes—and on emerging technologies such as solar power and biofuels.

 

In the upcoming issue, we get to know more about: TECHNICAL REGULATION (TR)