This year, the global increase in CO2 emissions is likely to be significantly lower than last year. While global demand for coal has increased, the expansion of renewable energy and electric vehicles is outweighing demand for coal. Global carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels are therefore expected to increase by just under 1 percent this year, according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) released today.
On October 18, 2022, the 10th German-Spanish Forum on the topic: “Shaping a digital and sustainable future in Europe together” took place in Berlin, which was organized by the Liz Mohn Center of the Bertelsmann Foundation together with Telefónica, the Fundación ICO and the BDI . For Liz Mohn, Co-President of the German-Spanish Forum, the focus is on the exchange between the two countries: “We can no longer solve our challenges alone and we have to address the question of how we can achieve more unity and common ground in an increasingly complex world create and secure a world that is torn apart.” …
Globally, aviation causes only about 2.7% of all CO2 emissions (before the pandemic) – this is rather low compared to other industries. Nevertheless, international aviation relies on numerous climate protection measures, the ICAO agreement on CO2 neutrality by 2050 is supported by Vienna Airport: “This is a big step for climate protection, because CO2-free aviation is within reach…”
There are around 23,000 companies in the manufacturing sector in Germany, which were responsible for around 24 percent of the total emissions in 2020. These figures from the Federal Statistical Office and the Climate Protection Report 2021 illustrate the great potential for sustainability measures that need to be taken at various levels. Years ago, after Bosch stated that their company was going to be CO2-neutral according to Scope 1 and 2, other companies started to follow their lead as well.
By 2050, Europe is set to become the first climate-neutral continent. Sustainable product design is a key step towards this. Fiber-reinforced plastics offer an alternative to resource-intensive materials such as metals or alloys because they have comparable material properties depending on the recipe.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) published an in-depth report on 5.5.2021 on the supply situation of mineral commodities for the extraction of copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earths for the transformation process of the energy transition. The underlying trade markets are characterized by high growth, increasing price volatility, geopolitical interests, and supply disruptions with highly geographically concentrated and unsustainable production, he said. This could slow down the processes of climate change and make them significantly more expensive. This would create additional risks for the expansion of renewable energies and electromobility.
Biodiversity and business – Biodiversity and the associated ecosystem services are the basis of societal well-being and prosperity and thus also the economic basis of almost all businesses.
Various risks to business are to be expected:
Berlin, March 10, 2021 – In a first statement, the German Council for Sustainable Development welcomes the fundamental general overhaul of the German sustainability strategy. “It is particularly important that the German government has for the first time identified so-called transformation areas,” said Dr. Werner Schnappauf, Chairman of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE).