As we know, climate change is one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Globally, there is significant pressure on organizations, companies, and countries to ensure substantial progress in the fight against global warming. We are at a critical point in avoiding an irreversible climate crisis, so it is essential to ensure concrete actions and clear commitments to reduce emissions before it is too late.
The time is now. We cannot wait any longer. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated at the New Economy Bloomberg Forum: “2021 must be the year of a great leap towards carbon neutrality. Every country, city, financial institution, and company, should adopt plans for transitioning to net zero emissions by 2050.
While timely, decisive, and collective action is crucial to achieve the ambition of carbon neutrality, our climate goals and objectives need to go along with forward-looking strategies and measures. Therefore, adopting sustainable pathways to reach emission-neutral economies will heavily depend on our ability to make decisions that not only mitigate the environmental impact we face today, but also that help prevent future climate risks.
The clearest example is that of the European Union, which in many ways is leading the fight against climate change, implementing concrete actions to meet the commitments of the Paris Agreement, and anticipating future challenges.
Not long ago, the European Commission discussed a proposal made by Brussels on the possibility of implementing a new regulation on requirements for the manufacture, use and disposal of batteries in European Union countries. This proposal, on which no agreement has been reached yet, seeks to anticipate the likely increase in demand and use of commercial batteries in the coming years, to minimize the environmental impact this may cause in the future.
According to the World Economic Forum‘s data, the battery market is forecast to be worth 100,000 million dollars. By 2040, batteries storing solar power for businesses and households will account for 57% of the world’s energy storage capacity.
Brussels’ proposal to increase regulation on the commercialization of batteries aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals as the manufacturing and usage of batteries could have a higher environmental impact than previously thought. As the demand for batteries increases, so will the large amounts of carbon emissions that result from the production process and throughout their life cycle.
Even though regulations on batteries in the European market were agreed upon in 2006, Brussels considers that due to the technological and economic advances we have made in recent years, it has made imperative to adapt and establish stricter requirements. The idea behind newer regulations is to make industrial, portable, and vehicle batteries more sustainable and recyclable as their use and production increases.
Thus, Brussels is working to mitigate the impact that battery usage will bring to European Union countries. Moreover, the EU is working on anticipating the climate risks of the future tied to battery usage. Like Brussels, we need to adopt the same vision for the future, which is an essential factor for success in the fight against climate change.
Owner of several companies in the energy and mining sector, and inventor of the design and engineering of the Super Matroid Heater and Ultra Filtration Systems for the oil and gas industries.
