Mauro’s GREEN+ corner #01: A solid lineup to win the toughest match
Dear reader,
It’s Bart Brouwers, CEO of Innovation Origins, writing. Every Sunday, you receive our weekly newsletter. This newsletter, which is growing steadily and currently has nearly 5,000 members, conveniently compiles the most talked-about articles on various topics and provides a behind-the-scenes look at the editorial processes.
For the first time today, you will also find a Saturday newsletter—written in English to reach you all—in your digital mailbox. We plan to deliver this every Saturday from now on, each time focusing on one of our specialized themes: GREEN+, CHIP+, DATA+, and BIO+. Our specialists put together these newsletters.
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For now, enjoy reading this first-themed newsletter. Mauro, what's up with GREEN+?
Well, you know Bart, it’s pretty busy. But first, please let me introduce myself: I’m Mauro, and I have been writing for Innovation Origins for almost three years. In this period, I wrote about several topics, specializing in topics concerning the green transition, such as new energy systems, mobility, and circularity. In my corner, I’ll talk about what caught my eye most in the past month.
A few weeks ago, while listening to a keynote by Earl Goetheer, CTO of accelerator HighTechXL, I got familiar with a metaphor I never heard before. While discussing ways to decarbonize our society, he underscored the importance of having multiple tools (different technologies) at our disposal. Interestingly, he then put them in a football lineup. Electrification, renewable feedstocks, and circularity were the core of the team – the hard-working midfielders and fullbacks – and process efficiency was the number nine netting goals. To my surprise – and just because I never thought of it this way, forgive me – carbon capture and storage played as the goalie.
“If, after a game, we read that our team goalkeeper was very active during the game, it’s not good news, and that’s the same here because the technology still needs to be developed and costs money,” Goetheer said.
According to the Dutch Scientific Climate Council, it feels like the Netherlands should invest in this goalkeeper academy more, as it calls for the government to act.
Climate ambitions require more than trees: Netherlands must intensify carbon removal
Earl Goetheer explains his energy transition tactics.
Talking about football after the controversial elimination of the Netherlands in the Euro semifinal against England is hard these days. While the Dutch team achieved an unexpected result despite some last-minute forfeits, how solid is the Dutch decarbonization lineup? There is a lot of potential, talent, and the need for further development – what I would also say about Xavi Simons. If you follow our website regularly, you will notice that we have made some changes, introducing a new series. In one of them, the Green Transition Drivers, I chat with some of the people working on this transition – in a way, talking with the coaches of those technologies that can make us score climate goals. The first two episodes are out; you can find them here:
Controlling light to boost energy efficiency, so Stijn Kragt is giving an impulse to the green transition
‘Why not start fixing climate change now?’
Ultimately, it is all about decisions policymakers need to make – or how the coach decides to play the team. As you know, the European Elections happened a month ago, with Liberals and Greens losing seats and far-right parties making more significant gains. The European People’s Party (EEP) got most of the seats overall, granting her leading candidate, Ursula von der Leyen, a second term at the helm of the Commission. Several reports mention the EPP’s willingness to scale down Europe’s commitment to climate action. While the emissions target for 2030 - 55% fewer emissions compared to 2005 levels - and reaching climate neutrality by 2050 remain, the Green Deal might soon become a Green Growth Deal. Will we use some gegenpressing on climate change or park the bus? Let’s hope to score many goals!
Mauro Mereu - editor at Innovation Origins
I gained knowledge i.e.worth for me. I am regular reader.
Haha, "There is a lot of potential, talent, and the need for further development – what I would also say about Xavi Simons." Would Xavi agree?