Sustainability  |  Business

Recycling electric batteries: the antidote to a new disaster

There is no alternative to this form of circular economy. Electric batteries for cars promise to solve the problem of polluting emissions, but if the recovery and reuse of raw materials is inadequate, the environment and production chains will suffer enormous new stresses

By Ferdinando Cotugno

Sustainability  |  Focus On

"Paying to pollute" is not enough. Anti-emissions strategies in aviation

Immediate measures to achieve decarbonisation targets in the aviation sector include auctions for emission allowances, offset programmes and specific taxation proposals. But action is needed on several levels: here is how the market and industrial research do and can play their part
By Andrea Giuricin
Column  |  Focus On

Here's why everyone is talking about lithium

It is the new resource symbol of the ecological and digital transition in mobility and beyond. Growing demand is about to outstrip supply and may turn lithium into the “new oil”, 90% of whose production is concentrated in only three countries in the world
By Daniele Monaco
Sustainability  |  Focus On

Road to COP28 in the hearth of the Gulf

2023 will be the “Year of Sustainability” in the UAE, which is hosting the next COP. The arabic country has already invested $50 billion in renewable energy and clean tech, and the same amount is planned for the years ahead
By Patrizia Marin
Sustainability  |  Interview

“No to nuclear: now, the future is self-produced renewable energy”

A return to nuclear energy would not help solve the issues raised by the energy crisis, according to Nicola Armaroli, research director at the CNR. “We already have 90% of the transition solutions”
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Interview  |  Sustainability

"Yes to nuclear power to reach the Net Zero 2050 goal"

Atomic energy will be key to achieving emissions targets and supply autonomy, along with renewables. This is explained by Chicco Testa, manager and author of the book 'Going Back to Nuclear Power', speaking to Infra Journal about fourth-generation power plants and fusion studies
By Sofia Fraschini
Interview  |  Sustainability

“We train the youth and countries to a climate-proof future”

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental body with 167 member nations. Its scope of activities ranges from young climate and energy leaders to developing countries. Infra Journal has reached out its Director General, Francesco La Camera
By Patrizia Marin
Sustainability  |  Interview

“Climate justice at COP27 should not remain only on paper”

“A great achievement the loss & damage fund, but decisions need another year while natural disasters impact billions of people,” Professor Massimiliano Falcone, communication strategist at the World Bank Group, Connect4Climate, explains
By Patrizia Marin
Focus On  |  Sustainability

"Failure"? No. There is at least one historic achievement of COP27

It is the creation of a fund to help countries affected by damage and losses caused by the climate crisis, which has been overdue for 30 years. However, the negotiations on loss & damage left the mitigation and fossil fuel front uncovered
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Transports  |  Sustainability

Electric or fossil fuel car: here is which really pollutes less

Let there be no doubt: even in the worst-case scenario an electric car already has 30 per cent less impact than an equivalent petrol or diesel. And things are bound to improve
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Sustainability  |  Focus On

Autumn is here: strategies for the gas crisis in the EU

Here is what has changed in the policies and strategies of the European Union and individual major countries to implement the abandonment of Russian gas in favour of other sources and suppliers, seven months after the start of the war in Ukraine
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Sustainability  |  Video

Infrastructure at risk in the Arctic due to climate change

Global warming is causing the land in the Arctic region, which is permanently frozen (permafrost), to thaw. Soil disruption causes immediate damage to human works, a major impact on existing ecosystems and the release of new carbon into the atmosphere
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Focus On  |  Sustainability

The capabilities of hydrogen for industry and transport

It could make an important contribution to reducing emissions where electrification is more difficult and in sectors hard to abate. The Hydrogen JRP is a research centre by the Politecnico di Milano, for a research chain between universities and the business world
By Ferruccio Resta
Interview  |  Sustainability  | 

A laboratory for sustainability in the airport of tomorrow

Reforesting is a part of a wider strategy in absorbing CO₂ at Aéroports de la Côte d'Azur. The group was certified Airport Carbon Accreditation level 4+ and has a plan to become a non-emissive airport platform in Nice, Cannes and Saint Tropez
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Cities  |  Sustainability

How to (quickly) rethink cities to mitigate climate change

Urban spaces, infrastructure and transportation networks need to be optimised and redesigned, according to the UN IPCC Sixth Report. By mid-century, 68 percent of the world's population will be living in a city
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Interview  |  Sustainability

“The World needs climate literacy to preserve peace”

A call to action by Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Organization: “Climate change isn’t just a future threat; it’s happening now, and the changes we’re already seeing will only get worse”
By Patrizia Marin
Sustainability  |  Cities

Urban reforestation as a resilience strategy

A primary mode of adaptation to global warming, the planting of tens of thousands of trees in the urban fabric should be considered as an inevitable infrastructure for the 21st century. Examples of this around the world are multiplying at all levels
By Giulia Zappa
Sustainability  |  Transports

Here's why zero emissions in aviation is a major challenge

The COP26 conference established the goal of zero emissions for the aviation industry by 2050. Airports and airlines are adopting anti-pollution initiatives, but public incentives would be useful in support of this commitment in an area of key importance for the economy
By Andrea Giuricin
Sustainability  |  Transports

Hydrogen a new challenge for greener airports

Hydrogen as a power source to relieve the environmental impact in aviation: this is the OLGA Project, as approved by the European Commission, with a total budget of 34 millions euro. But others are also considering this innovation
By Magdalena Smenda
Sustainability  |  Business

Energy self-sufficiency: more than an environmental issue

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is testing the European Union’s ambitious climate goals, adding new political significance to the continent’s ambitions for sustainability and energy independence from exporters of fossil fuels, technologies and raw materials
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Video  |  Sustainability

That “hunger” for minerals: the price of sustainability

An electric car requires six times more minerals than a conventional one. Global demand for certain raw materials, such as lithium, copper and other metals and minerals, grows steadily as the world struggles to achieve sustainability goals
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Sustainability  |  Transports

SAF and e-fuels: the wild card to fly "green"

Authorities, air companies and fuel providers are increasingly looking into sustainable aviation fuels (Saf) and "e-fuels" as an alternative to fossil hydrocarbons. How are these fuels made? What are the pros and cons? Some operators are leading the way in Europe
By Magdalena Smenda
Sustainability  |  Cities

Cities take on the climate crisis: three stories from the Anthropocene

Urban centres do not necessarily have a destructive impact on nature and biodiversity. Cities like Shanghai, Stockholm and Prato are attempting to reverse this paradigm, demonstrating how green infrastructures can help in facing environmental challenges, such as flood management, pollution reduction, climate resilience and public health
By Giulia Zappa
Sustainability

The six guiding qualities for building sustainable infrastructures

The ability of infrastructure to shape economies and societies is immense and could be used as a tool to facilitate the reinvention of the entire world of construction
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Focus On

The Vertical Forest: a concrete utopia for the world, from Milan

An archetype of multispecies architecture, Stefano Boeri Architetti’s iconic Bosco Verticale building is the first Vertical Forest, designed from an inclusive perspective focusing on coexistence of humans, flora and fauna as a new paradigm for sustainable urban development
By Giulia Zappa
Focus On

Beyond the imagination: the biorobotic challenge of the plantoids is here

These innovative “robotic plants” are bio-inspired automas that mimic the propagation of roots in the soil. Their creator is an Italian, Barbara Mazzolai, and her vision offers a glimpse of a variety of potential applications in various disciplines
By Infra Journal Newsroom
Business  |  Mobility

Zero emissions: a matter of luxury

European Union confirms the ambitious goal of zero-emission cars by 2035. Reactions within the automotive industry are different, ranging from caution to initiatives, particularly in the luxury segment
By Ferdinando Cotugno
Sustainability

Transports, the dawn of the sustainable Era

The pandemic offered us a chance to rethink our mobility habits with an eye on the Planet. Here is how cities like Milan, Paris and London are responding to this need for change
By Infra Journal Newsroom