The Status Quo
Climate change is getting worse and causing more catastrophes around the world like floods, hurricanes, and storms which are becoming more frequent and more dangerous.
With scientists detecting a stronger link between the planet’s warming and its changing weather patterns, it’s becoming obvious that weather events that were once rare occurrences are now becoming increasingly commonplace.
In fact, wildfires are burning for longer periods of time across larger areas, extreme temperatures are getting hotter, winter storms are hitting us harder, and droughts are persisting for longer. The warmer temperatures are also leading to more rain and more powerful hurricanes, and the rising sea levels are causing widespread flooding.
The Bigger Crash
To shed light on all of this, we have decided to launch a campaign to highlight the urgency with which we need to act and humbly reconsider some of the mistakes we have made in the past. Overall, we want to help steer the conversation towards a green future and a more thoughtful approach to mobility.
As a major player in the automotive industry, we know that we have a huge responsibility to change the status quo and do better for our planet. At the same time, we have the opportunity and the power to contribute to the great switch and promote massive change which will steer us all clear of what we call ‘The Bigger Crash’.
The ‘Bigger Crash’ campaign is provocative. It’s a punch in the gut and we couldn’t have found a better way to reflect on what’s happening around the world right now.
The Five Images
Every one of the photos in this campaign is authentic. They have all been taken by professional photographers who have been witnessing and capturing these kinds of tragedies for some time.
The five images at the heart of this campaign feature hurricanes, typhoons, and storms that have recently crashed onto land and destroyed cities. Each image captures the things that the photographers found when passing by, like cars being hurled through the air.
The Big Crash
At first glance, you might think that this campaign is about car accidents especially as there is a name and a speed noted on each image.
But, if you look carefully, the big picture frames an even bigger crash - an incredibly intense hurricane that is leaving desolation and destruction in its wake. Instead of relating to a car crash victim, the name and the speed refer to the name and the speed of the cyclone, thus closing the loop and shedding light on the pressing issue of extreme weather.
The message is straight to the point: ‘Climate change is no accident.’ We are all involved in some way but we’re not here with a message of despair. We are here to change the game, steer the conversation in a more positive way and ultimately fight against this bigger crash.
Driving the change
We’re exhausting Mother Nature right now and depleting our natural resources. But, at the same time, we are also witnessing the end of the industrial age and shift into the ecological phase of human progress.
We see this as an opportunity to take a new course of action with a fresh mindset of optimism and positive energy. It’s time to act for the good of this generation and all the generations to come.
We are in progress to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045; that’s what we call the great switch. Our holistic climate solutions aim to shift the energy paradigm and usher in a hydrogen-based society by completing our shift to hydrogen energy by 2040.
Electricity is our fuel. And we are in progress to achieve 100% electrification, through the introduction of fuel cell electric vehicles in the European market by 2035.
So, will we lead the move to electric? The answer is yes, we will. In fact, we’ve been pioneering electric cars for a long time and launched our SONATA Electric way back in 1991.
This year, we have opened a whole new chapter with our IONIQ 5. Our IONIQ line is a gamechanger because all IONIQ models are built on the latest Electric Global Modular Platform that brings several added benefits like faster charging, an extended range, and, without a petrol engine, the IONIQ models have a more spacious, and flexible interior too.
Beyond electricity
We are thinking beyond electricity. While we are committed to building fuel cells for electric cars, we are also heavily committed to hydrogen fuel cells. Why? Because green hydrogen is expected to reduce six gigatons of CO₂ annually by 2050, creating a market worth $2.5 trillion and employing 30 million people.
It’s no wonder then, that we’re investing 6.8 billion dollars in hydrogen-related start-ups to nurture hydrogen ecosystems. We’re also planning to build green hydrogen infrastructures in countries with strong government support and abundant renewable energy sources, like Australia.
We are building carbon neutrality into everything we do, including how we operate in our factories. Starting with our factory in the Czech Republic, we aim to run all our factories worldwide on 100% renewable energy. This is all part of our hydrogen vision - to create a healthier, more inclusive, and more eco-positive world.
We are working hard to confine extreme weather disasters and crashes to the past, as best we can. We want to build a world that will support and nurture the next generation.
Expecting Generation One
When the world wakes up on the morning of 6 September 2045, it is our hope that we will all be able to welcome a new generation - a generation we have called ‘Generation One’. This will be a generation who will only know a world that has zero emissions, renewable energy, and is 100% carbon neutral.
This is a future worth living in and a world worth building together. For people and for all the species on this planet, we won’t stop until we have achieved carbon neutrality.
Follow Hyundai Lifestyle(@hyundai.lifestyle) to see BTS taking part in our challenges for Generation One and find out more about how we’re building a more sustainable future.
