The United Nations (UN) has adopted a term and framework called the ‘Triple Planetary Crisis’, to refer to the three main interlinked issues that humanity currently faces:

Why is it significant?

The term – ‘Triple Planetary Crisis’ – underscores the interdependence of these issues and their collective impact on the planet’s ecosystems, societies, and economies. It highlights that these crises are not separate problems but are linked, deeply intertwined and intensify each other, threatening human health, well-being, and prosperity. Hence, they must be addressed together. Each of these issues has its own causes and effects and each issue needs to be resolved if we are to have a viable future on this planet.

Unsustainable production and consumption patterns are a common underlying driver for all three issues. In the words of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “Humanity is waging war on nature. This is senseless and suicidal.”

What is being done to tackle it?

There are UN agencies dedicated to each of the planetary crises: The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) tackles climate change; UN Environment tackles pollution and UN Biodiversity focuses on biodiversity.

The Paris Agreement

Exactly 10 years ago, the world signalled that climate change is a serious threat to life on the planet, and with the historic 2015 Paris Agreement, put into place the current international mechanism for combating the crisis. The foundation of the Paris Accords was the agreement that atmospheric heating had to be kept below 2 degrees Celsius (above pre-industrial levels) by 2100, and that nations would strive to further limit this to below 1.5 degrees Celsius. The latter is the true heating barrier, beyond which life on the planet will face all kinds of nightmare scenarios.

The COP30 climate conference

The COP30 international climate conference that is ongoing in Belem, Brazil, on the outskirts of the Amazon rainforest, has a lot on its plate since the world has missed the 1.5 degree target. The last two (successive) years (2024, 2025) have seen annual global temperatures being 1.5 and 1.6 degrees Celsius hotter. Although it is possible to first overshoot and then reduce heating to under 1.5 degrees Celsius, scientists are clear that we will overshoot the 1.5  degree barrier far sooner than anticipated, with the average global temperature 1.4 degrees hotter right now and consequences are already being felt.

The consequences range from deaths due to weather-related disasters (of which there has been a five-fold increase in the past 50 years) to the 21.5 million people displaced by climate-change related disasters every year. Coral reefs are nearly dead, catastrophic cyclonic storms are hitting all around the world, and Antarctic glaciers are melting at a shocking rate.

The more extreme and more frequent floods, droughts and storms not only means a huge human cost, but a huge environmental and financial cost as well. A 2021 report from Swiss Re, one of the largest providers of insurance to other insurance companies, revealed that climate change could cut the value of the world economy by $23 trillion by 2050 – with developed nations such as the US, Canada and France losing between six and ten per cent of their potential economic output. For developing nations, the effects of climate change are even more dire, with Malaysia and Thailand, for example, both seeing their economic growth 20 per cent below what would otherwise be expected by 2050.

A group of scientists for the thinktank Climate Analytics published a report earlier this month outlining a possible ‘Highest Possible Ambition’ pathway by which global heating can be limited to a peak of 1.7 degrees Celsius of warming by 2050 and then brought down to about 1.2 degrees of warming by 2100. Broadly speaking, the report states that this can be achieved by focusing on four goals:

There are many things you can do on an individual basis: consume less; walk or cycle instead of driving; recycle; use less water, and perhaps most importantly contact your elected representatives. Ask them what they are doing to combat the triple planetary crisis – tell them it is important to you and your peers.

Driving a private car is habit forming. Like many others, you may have already become addicted to cars. Try to break free! To make the transition to bicycles effortless and smooth, solar bicycles can work as a great enabler. It works on the principle of energy harvesting, which is explored here.

What is energy harvesting?

Energy harvesting is the process of capturing and converting energy from the environment into electrical power. It is one of the key emerging technologies of the 21

st

century. It is defined as the collection of local naturally available energy for local use. It refers to the collection of energy from the environment; energy that would otherwise be lost to heat.

An energy harvesting source could be Radiofrequency, Thermoelectric, Piezoelectric, Electromagnetic,  Photovoltaic (PV) or Chemical energy;  thus, may be different from renewable energy sources.

Can all Photovoltaic sources be categorised as ‘energy harvesting’?

No. For a PV source to be considered as a ‘Energy harvesting’ source, it should meet both the following criteria:

Examples of PV projects not categorised as energy harvesting

Example of a PV source that is truly an energy harvesting source

An example of a PV project that is truly an ‘Energy Harvesting’ source is a ‘Solar Bicycle’. A solar bicycle carries its own, dedicated solar panel (PV source) on its frame, hence it is a local and naturally available energy source – meeting the first criteria. The energy collected from the solar panel is used primarily to drive the BLDC motor to propel the bicycle. The energy is also used for the headlights, tail-light, horn and other electrical circuits. Both energy uses are local to the bicycle, meeting the second criteria. Hence, a solar bicycle can be categorized, truly, under ‘Energy Harvesting’ category.

Harvested solar energy vs. metabolic energy

WIPO and climate change

The World Intellectual Property (IP) Organization (WIPO) is the United Nations agency that serves the world’s innovators and creators, ensuring that their ideas travel safely to the market and improve lives everywhere. WIPO’s IP data and information guide, impact-driven projects and technical assistance ensure IP benefits everyone, everywhere. It has put innovation, technology, and IP at the forefront of the fight against climate change.

In October 2025, WIPO released its Green Technology Book that focuses on energy technology solutions to address climate change in the fastest-growing region of the world – the Asia-Pacific. With its scale, rapid growth, and high energy intensity, Asia plays a key role in the global energy transition. The book highlights real solutions shaping a sustainable future across Asia.

It would be interesting to note that BEM® Savitré™ solar bicycle is one of the 200 examples that has appeared in the WIPO’s Green Technology Book. Thus, the importance of energy harvesting in the fight against climate change has been recognised by WIPO. It is, now, for the policymakers, businesses, innovators, and solution seekers with a forward-looking perspective to act and use the energy harvesting technology to drive the transition toward sustainability.

Dr. Vithal Kamat

has a Doctorate in Artificial Intelligence from the University of New Brunswick, Canada as a Commonwealth Scholar in 1996. He completed Masters in Control and Instrumentation from IIT Bombay. He has worked essentially in the Telecom Industry in the 1980s, the Power Industry in the 1990s, Embedded Industry in 2000s, Engineering Education in 2010s, AIoT in the 2020s and is currently in solar mobility. His contributions have been in developing indigenous electronic switching systems under Sam Pitroda’s CDOT, restructuring India’s Power Sector under the Ministry of Power, developing Embedded Systems with NXP Semiconductors, Women’s Professional education (as Principal of Engineering Institute- MBICT) and introducing disruptive technologies such as kVAh metering, and solar e-bicycles, for the 1st time worldwide.