Carbon neutrality and other fairy tales

Countries, cities, companies, and citizens from around the world are being called upon to participate in the well-known “decarbonization” of the economy.

The new energy and social paradigm are being justified by the need to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change. Undoubtedly a concern that afflicts us all.

All of us must be aware of a change in habits, backing on information, science, education, and awareness.

But, at the same time, we need to be alert. For, a large part of this energy transition (if not the largest) will be the responsibility of an entire “neoliberal” economic system that has been disguised as ecologist or “green” throughout the last decade.

The European Union, "committed to developing an ambitious climate policy, aims to become the first continent to eliminate as many CO2 emissions by 2050 as it produces." This objective could become legally binding if the European Parliament and the Council adopt the new Climate Law.

The EU's 2030 emission reduction target has also been updated "from the current 40% reduction proposal to a more ambitious reduction".

The European Parliament voted, on 7 October, in favor of climate neutrality by 2050 and “an objective of reducing emissions by 60% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, i.e., a more ambitious target than the proposal Commission's decision on a 50-55% reduction”.

These goals will only be achieved through the already known “Green Deal” package that ended up being integrated into the “bazooka” of support for the pandemic. The emergence of the new coronavirus last year helped to "accelerate" what was already underway.

It was also in the middle of a pandemic and a state of emergency that we were surprised by the headlines and front pages referring to a “massive killing” of

540 animals (wild boar, deer, etc.) that were slaughtered in mid-December by a group of 16 Spanish hunters on an estate in Azambuja (Portugal).

The justification for this bloody mount may be related to the plans to create a photovoltaic plant at Torre Bela property, whose existence is incompatible with large animals in freedom, in addition to the need to deforest the estate to make way for the solar panels. A project that was in public consultation and that has been revoked by the Portuguese Government after the occurrence.

In other European latitudes, impacts related to the exploitation of Biomass, are also being signalled by ecological and environmental associations and organizations.

Since the EU announced its intention to double the use of alternative energies in 2030, several scientists have issued warnings to the European Parliament about authentic “holes” in the legislation regarding sustainability criteria. Gray areas in the law may even be contributing to accelerating the climate crisis, namely through the devastation of thousands of hectares of adult forest.

 The multi-million-dollar biomass lobby is just one example. In virtually all European countries there has been an increase in forestry for energy.

Biomass, the main source of which resides in forests, currently represents 60% of renewable energy in the EU, surpassing solar and wind energy together.

Deforestation to exploit biomass in countries like Estonia, for example, but also in other areas of the Baltic, could be the source of several problems signalled by environmentalists, particularly in areas of the Natura Network, with the decline or disappearance of native species of birds.

This drama, as well as the ambiguities in the legislation, are already identified, but still few steps (or none) have been taken to correct the trajectory of the disaster, largely because of the economic weight achieved in the meantime by this industry.

On the other hand, steps are being taken towards Hydrogen and the other options (solar, wind, etc.), and the “Green Deal” will be the preferred mechanism to finance many of these projects.

That is why it is the right time to ensure that biomass-like cases are not repeated, although we are already detecting some. The situation of ‘Herdade da Torre Bela’ with the deforestation and elimination of fauna allegedly to proceed with a photovoltaic installation project should be a serious warning to navigation and not be foaming by the first pages dedicated to the impact of the killing as an isolated and macabre event. 

However, examples like this Lusitanica born in volunteering and associative propose to recover several plots of land in Estarreja.

The project "aims to enhance the biodiversity of Portuguese ecosystems, as well as cultural heritage, actively involving the community in the ecological improvement of those spaces in order to build landscapes and more sustainable forest management models".

Let us hope that our leaders know how to interpret reality and not embark on Fairy Tales or stories of Big Bad Wolf.

Other enchanting stories

The Middle East has been lavish in building new urban realities from scratch. Dubai in the UAE and Qatar are the best-known examples, but the most resonant of these days has been Neom, the city-state designed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Neom is a fantastic dream of the Crown Prince who has brought together some of the most brilliant specialists, urban planners, architects, and consultants in the world around him. More details have recently been revealed, in addition to what was already known, namely, in relation to the cost of the project and its megalomania.

At the beginning of the year, the project was reinforced as “The Line”, 170 kilometers of a megacity composed of modules, without cars, and connecting Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt.

Neom will be powered entirely by renewable energies, already marking a change in the paradigm of one of the largest oil producers in the world.

In addition, a new matrix for sustainable living with robots, artificial intelligence, driverless transport, vertical gardens, etc. is announced by the Prince himself.

The choice of name is thus clear, a combination of the Greek word "new" and the Arabic term for "future".

A desert of abundant ideas

Without so many media spotlights, but equally ambitious, we found a project that aims to reforest the deserts.

Engineers, architects, biologists, environmentalists, and entrepreneurs together in a concept based on a simple, but great idea: make use of existing technology and another one under development, join what we have in abundance (saltwater, sun, and desert), and produce food, water, and energy in a sustainable way.

The Sahara Forest Project will explore countless existing technologies and methods, take advantage of synergies and reuse waste. The first pilot is already being developed in the desert near the city of Aqaba, in Jordan.

These and other projects, in addition to being ambitious, are exemplary and inspiring. Even with all the difficulties of execution and implementation, everyone is born out of dreams, but also out of necessity. 

For the next few years, citizens, businesses, and governments are required not to waste time on fairytale ideals or panacea. If there is even a climate emergency, this is the right time to build the future based on ethics and intelligence.