The goal of saving the planet from climate disaster and waste will have take many forms in 2021 both in Italy and internationally. Many private and public-sector projects will aim at reducing energy demand, converting to renewable sources and enhancing and improving green areas. Here are some of the main trends we will be observing in the coming months and some concrete projects that will seek to make them a reality.
The city in 15 minutes
Workplaces, cafés, restaurants, schools, recreational spaces, shops and essential services within a 15 minute walk or bike ride from home. In short, this is the concept that various cities are trying to implement, in response to the pandemic and other factors, and which will accelerate considerably in 2021. The first metropolis to accept the proposal of the French-Colombian scientist Carlos Moreno was the Paris of Mayor Anne Hidalgo. « We need to rethink cities based on the four guiding principles that are the key building blocks of the 15-minute city [… ],” Moreno explained, “ecology [… ] proximity [… ] solidarity [… ] and participation [… ] I don’t want cities to become country villages. Urban life is vibrant and creative. Cities are places of economic dynamism and innovation. Yet we need to make urban life more pleasant, agile, healthy and flexible. To do so, we need to make sure that everyone – and I really mean everyone – those who live downtown and those who live in the suburbs – have access to all essential services nearby. »
In cities like Milan, the transition has already begun: the scooter boom, the new bike lanes, the reshaping of work spaces are just the beginning and over the next few months they will only continue. Other metropolises that are members of C40, the network of a hundred or so major cities around the world that was created following the 2015 Paris Agreement, are moving in a similar direction: Bogota dreams of « traffic free » streets; many London suburbs such as Lamberth and Hockney will widen their sidewalks and limit roads to traffic; Barcelona aims to have 30,000 square meters of urban area for pedestrians only; and Mexico City plans a network of several kilometre of bicycle lanes, just to mention the most advanced examples of urban sustainability.
Increasingly green buildings
According to aUnited Nationsestimate, in 2017, buildings, construction methods and their energy sources produced 39% of the world’s energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. This is an impressive number that the Commission aims to reduce at European level by upgrading 35 million buildings by 2030 and creating 160,000 jobs. As part of the Green Deal, the « Renovation Wave« strategy and the Next Generation EU plan launched in 2020 and destined to come to life in 2021 will be the concrete tools that Brussels will use to implement the green conversion of existing structures. In the coming months, in short, residential complexes built from wood such as the Cederhus in Stockholm (which with its 200 apartments is currently one of the largest cedar structures in the world) or the Unipol Tower in Milan (a 125-meter high skyscraper that will be completed in 2021 with a peculiar X-shaped structure that resembles a nest made of sustainable materials) will become the norm.
“The simple use of artificial intelligence can help companies reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by 5% to 10% by 2030, corresponding to between 2.6 and 5.3 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.«
More artificial intelligence, less waste and pollutants
The contribution that artificial intelligence can make to building a more sustainable worldhas long been discussed. According to a study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), we now know that with the use of AI companies can reduce the total greenhouse gas emissions by 5% to 10% by 2030, corresponding to between 2.6 and 5.3 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. As we await the full result envisaged by BCG, there are companies that are already putting this tool to the test, for example in the fight against energy waste: the multi-utility Hera has formed a partnership with the University of Bologna and the data analytics company Rezatec that has enabled development of an algorithm that can predict the points of the water grid at greater risk of leaks in order to schedule prompter maintenance. The first municipalities on which this artificial intelligence was tested were Santarcangelo di Romagna, Riccione and Cattolica, in the Rimini area, and in 2021 the experimentation will be extended to a portion of the province of Forlì-Cesena, as well as the entire province of Rimini.
The green side of the pandemic
If the creation of sustainable fabrics and garments has now become standard practice for many brands, even in high fashion, new practices are arising this year, spurred by new pandemic habits. The disposable face masks used to prevent the spread of Covid-19 could be recycled and used inroad surface construction work. Australian researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology came up with the idea of mixing shredded masks and demolished concrete to obtain a new building material: up to 3 million masks could be disposed of for every km of two-lane road. The mix of recycled concrete aggregate and masking would lead to the construction of « better, stronger and more flexible » roads, as the head of the research, Muhammad Saberian, explains. « We need flexible roads, to better support traffic loads, and this aggregate material offers good flexibility properties. We were inspired by the idea of investigating circular economy solutions to reduce the waste generated by the pandemic. »
Increasingly organic, waste-free food
The focus on the environment has undoubtedly also increased at the table and at all levels. At the end of 2020,the Michelin Guide brought the theme of sustainability to the great gourmet kitchens by introducing the new « green stars” award for chefs who embrace the themes of respect for the environment, work ethics, proper supply chain relations and the fight against food waste. The trend is not limited to celebrity chefs: all Italians have been much more attentive to health and the environment lately with purchases of organic products up +7% on 2019 (Nielsen 2020 data) and with a growing commitment to reduce food waste (Waste Watcher International Observatory data).
At the institutional level, there are many initiatives in 2021 to turn the table green: for example, the European Commission has promoted the social campaign « Taste the Ocean, in Italy “Il mare in bocca”, to promote the consumption of local, seasonal and sustainable fish and seafood, in collaboration with nine stars of international cuisine including the Spaniard Joan Roca, the Belgian Sang Hoon Degeimbre and the Italian Christian F. Puglisi.