Europe’s ambitious political target of drastically reducing CO2 emissions is facing significant challenges, and the solution to this issue is political pragmatism and technical skills, according to Roberto Musneci, President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Romania, at the conference “Digitalization and Energy Efficiency – Cluj-Napoca” organised by Energynomics and the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Romania – CCIpR.
“We are on the wrong track towards the objectives that we politically announced. We need political pragmatism and not political correctness. We need technical competence and not ideological slogans, and we need macro vision and micro approach,” said Musneci.
He also stressed the importance of collaboration among countries and a focus on practical solutions in the context of the persistent increase in CO2 emissions over the past decade despite concerted efforts, raising concerns about the continent’s ability to achieve its self-imposed climate objectives.
Musneci added that from the 1970s to the 1990s, annual nuclear energy production in the world averaged 20 GW, and between the 1990s and 2000, it increased to 30-35 GW per year. However, from 2000 to 2020, there were no new nuclear GW added to the global capacity.
Looking ahead, the plan from 2030 to 2050 is to produce 30 GW of nuclear energy annually and this required the construction of 30 new power stations each year worldwide. This poses a significant challenge, particularly given the current European political climate.
While China can rapidly produce nuclear energy at relatively low costs, Europe, Canada and other countries face slower construction rates and higher expenses. With no new power stations added in recent years, Europe is at risk of falling short of meeting the CO2 emission reduction targets set for 2050.
“Therefore, Europe is bound to fail miserably in meeting the CO2 emission reduction target set for 2050,” he concluded.
The conference “Digitalization and Energy Efficiency – Cluj-Napoca” was organised by Energynomics and the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Romania – CCIpR, with the support of our partners: ADC, ABB, BCR, CRC Energy, Datacor, Eaton Electric, Elektra Renewable Support, EnergoBit, Exim Banca Românească, Fortza Solar, MET Energy Romania, Polytrade Global, Nofar, WALDEVAR Energy.