newsitems CO2: Enemy or Chance ? Can Nature inspire Science to change Pollution into Energy, Materials+ ?
CO2: Enemy or Chance ? Can Nature inspire Science to change Pollution into Energy, Materials+ ?
(Draft). While EU Commission is due to adopt, next week in Strasbourg, its overall Plan for a "Low Carbon Economy by 2050" and "Energy Efficiency for 2011", Pioneer Scientists and even Industry have already started to explore a breakthrough idea to change harmful CO2 into useful Future Fuel and Materials, able to contribute with even more Economic means to the overall EU and UNO efforts to fight against Cimate Change and for Europe's Energy Independence, which will be discussed, together with MEPs and EU Commission in a forthcoming Scientific and Technological Options Assessment (STOA) workshop organized by EU Parliament before the end of March's EU Summit in Brussels, the experienced Secretary General of the European Materials Research organization, Paul Siffert, told "EuroFora".
Various Mega-solutions on how to Capture and Store CO2 in order to contribute into fighting against growing Atmospheric Pollution and dangerous Climate Change not only in long-term Global Warming, but also reportedly linked to recent destructive and even deadly Extreme Weather Events (f.ex. record-high Heatwaves, Floods, Storms, etc) , are currently prepared by EU Commission and several Member States, sometimes provoking certain Social Controversies, particularly on the underground CO2 long-time storage : It's in this framework that several Scientists and parts of Industry want to explore the "complementary" possibilities for CO2 recycling into Future Fuels, Materials and other useful applications, partially inspired by Nature's photosynthesis, which might also alleviate some fears about uncertainties for long-time CO2 underground storage, particularly if it becomes reversible, i.e. open to possible re-use of the stored CO2 when Scientific and Technoilogical Research might discover workable solutions in order to recycle it in New Fuel, Materials, etc.
Due to be anounced immediately after EU Commission President Jose Barroso's paper on 2050 Climate and Energy stategy, next week at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, a special event, jointly organized by STOA, MEPs' Scientific and Technologic Options Assessment committee, and the European Materials Research Society (EMRS, based in Strasbourg), aims to bring together EU Commission, Parliament, top Scientists and High-Tech Industry, as well as the European Press Media and other stockholders, in order to start seriously discussing the New Horizons which could be opened by Pioneer, Breakthrough Research :
- "Such Projects have already started in the USA, China, etc; as well as in some parts in Germany, etc. so that Europe should not loose the opportunity to fast coordinate its overall Research action" in an area able to create potentially immense New Possibilities for Economic Growth and a Healthier Environment from the forthcoming Decade(s), EMR's Head, Dr. Siffert added to "EuroFora".
The Key-note Speaker on how to transform CO2 into a Future Chemical Fuel, Professor Jacques Amouroux, experienced f. President of the prestigious Paris University Pierre et Marie Curie, who also drafted recently France Top Research Funding Agency : ANR's Report on Solar Energy breakthrough perspectives, speaking recently to "EuroFora", observed that simple mathematic calculation proves that even if the Electric and/or Hydrogen-powered New Cars could and should develop quite fast in the forseable Future, nevertheless, the total Number of existing Cars is so huge that it's economically impossible to replace them all soon enough, so that a new, alternative and comparatively less polluting and cheaper Fuel would be stilll necessary for quite a long period of time.
- In general, "our natural allies are mainly Chemistry and Electric Power producers, while some Oil/Gas Companies seem curiously more reserved", observed also to "EuroFora" the hyperactive Dr. Jean-Pierre Massue, former President of EMRS and long-time Director of CoE's EurOPA Agreement against Major man-made or natural Hazards throughout all the European continent, from Portugal up to Russia and well beyond, who currently extends his experience also at relevant International bodies.
Massue, particularly experienced into bringing together European Politicians and Scientists around Inno, also urged EMRS Head, Siffert, to outline the Future Horizon with a clear Timetable estimation about when he expects for Professor Amouroux's idea to start becoming functional in real practice, "so that MEPs, Government and EU Political leaders can have more clear perspectives". Siffert replied, smiling, that it should be certainly ..long "before 2050" Horizon that EU Commission has picked for its forthcoming Report due to be published next week at EU Parliament in Strasbourg...
EU Parliament, EU Commissioners, Scientists and Industry are due to explore Pioneer Research on Recycling CO2 for Economy and Climate "in the context of the energy and climate change targets for 2020 and beyond", focusing on "the audacious concept of generating hydrocarbons by taking hydrogen from water and combining it with CO2", according to a STOA-EMRS anouncement. This "would have a twofold Strategic benefit: - 1) the reduction of the atmospheric emissions of CO2, complementing other technology initiatives, such as the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) programme funded by the European Commission", and - "2) the production of transportable and storable synfuel, a 'standby' source of power for handling, on the demand/supply side, the peak loads and the intermittence of renewable sources".
- "In the long run, the reduction of the European dependence on imported oil and the enhancement of the European Competitiveness could also be envisaged as promising perspectives for a large scale, fuel production process, using CO2 as raw material", the organizers add, topically speaking shortly before €uroZone's forthcoming 11 March 2011 Summit on a European "Competitivity Plan", initially proposed jointly by French and German leaders President Sarkozy and Chancellor Merkel, with the agreement in principle of all 27 EU Member Countries at the recent February 4 Brussels' EU Summit, (See "EuroFora"s NewsReports from the spot).
Sarkozy has already indicated to "EuroFora" (see supra) that Scientific Research and Innovation could be part of €uroZone's Competitivity Plan, open also to all other interested EU Countries, and Merkel recently made it also clear that a main aim of the move is to inspire all those involved by a "High-Tech Strategy", which distinguishes between RST investment and necessary Budget Savings, in order to boost a coherent European competitive economy able to face a galoping Global Competition at this crucial juncture of a Post-Crisis period of the return to a sustainable Growth.
The March 22 EU Parliament's Workshop, "will present the state of the art of a technology breakthrough aimed at recycling and transforming harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) into fuels", and will provide an overview of the ongoing European and international R&D and pre-industrial initiatives aimed at developing and industrializing the proces", while "European Commission (RTD) will illustrate the framework of the ongoing and forthcoming EU funded programmes in the energy sector". Finally, "a round table, moderated by Dr. Rolf Linkohr (former MEP and long-time EU Parliament's Rapporteur on ST Research), will give MEPs and participants the opportunity to engage an open discussion with S&T experts, economists and representatives of the industry on the future technological and economic perspectives".
(../..)
(NDLR : See earlier 2010 "EuroFora" NewsReports", already sent to Subscribers/Donors, and Full Interview of Professor J. Amouroux, which will be published asap)
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Scientific innovation joined to Faith for Human Rights, Eastern Partnership and fight against the Crisis, but above all, the need to overcome the "Crisis of Trust" from EU Citizens, are the main priorities for new EU Parliament's President, Polish Jerzy Buzek, that a 555-votes-strong majority of MEPs on July 14, Strasbourg made a living symbol of the fact that, 20 years after the fall of Berlin Wall (1989 - 2009) there is no more an Eastern or Western Europe, but only one Europe, as the head of the largest group of MEPs, ChristianDemocrats/EPP, Joseph Daul, stressed after the event.
Speaking later to a group of Strasbourg's Journalists, including "EuroFora", the new EU Parliament's President clarified his stance on concrete topical issues, as f.ex. that of Turkey's controversial EU bid, which was one of the main issues of the June 2009 Electoral campain, clearly won by his party of ChristianDemocrats/EPP : - "At present, Turkey does not fullfil none of EU conditions", he stressed, (See infra).
Buzek is well known in Strasbourg and to "EuroFora" as EU Rapporteur for the Framework Program of Scientific Research and Development of Technologies. A Natural Science Professor from the Historic and Religious landmark Polish City of Częstochowa, active in the famous Solidarnosk grass-roots social movement, he served 4 years as Prime Minister (1997-2001), before being elected as MEP in 2004 and 2009, after he brillantly won the latest EU Election at the head of his party (EPP) almost doubling the number of its MEPs from 15 to 28 !
- "Innovation" and "Energy safety", as well as fight against the "Cimat change", but also "Eastern Partnership", the "Mediterranean", "Strategic partnerships" with Russia, the USA, etc, and the search for "solutions to the Economic Crisis" that EU Citizens "expect" from us, will be his "priorities", announced from the outset the new EU Parliament's President, reminding also that the quest for "Human and Civic Rights" played an important role in his experience with the Solidarnosc grass-roots social movement in Poland's History
But, the most important of all, is the urgent need to overcome the "Crisis of Trust" between EU Institutions and the People he stressed : - EU "Citizens often don't understand us", denounced Buzek, launcing a call to "do anything for EU Citizens to understand our work" in EU Parliament : "We (MEPs) need to make EU Citizens involved" in "what we are doing every week, in Strasbourg and Brussels", he proposed. Pointing f.ex. to the hot "Debates" with "strong arguments" exchanged between MEPs during the preparation of their Legislative Decisions, in Committees, delivering often hard struggles between initially opposed points of view, long before forging a majority at the final vote, sometimes more than a year..
Therefore, EU Parliament will be "open to your criticism, for discussion and exchange of views", he promissed to Journalists in Strasbourg.
In this way, Buzek, in fact, highlighted "EuroFora"s main idea, that we strongly advocate since 1997-2007, to systematicaly and actively involve EU Citizens in public debates during the decision-making process of important EU measures, which affect their lives and the society in which they live, (and not only just a few weeks each 4 or 5 Years at the eve of EU Elections)...
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This is related also to the symbolic gift that Buzek chose to give to the out-going former EU Parliament's President, Hans Gert Poettering, (2007-2009), his collegue in the ChristianDemocrats/EPP, who brillantly won 2009 EU Elections in Germany : A genuine statute of sainte Barbara crafted in Silesia's black Coal by Polish Miners : Those simple but strong people who fought for social change against some technocrats and bureaucrats disguissed into so-called "real-socialists" of old times. (PHOTO).
It's enough to have seen a popular open air mass, at Warsaw's center, with many thousands of people, old and young, simple workers and intellectuals mixed together, with references to Poland's history and struggles for survival and liberty, through various ages, (as fex. that organized at the eve of CoE's 2005 panEuropean Heads of State and Government for the beatification of late Pope John-Paul II), in order to understand what such symbols mean..
But, overcoming the "Crisis of Trust" with EU Citizens obviously implies also to rectify any errors done in the past, fex. on Turkey's controversial EU bid, with controversial decisions taken in 1999 and 2004 to give a "candidate" status and to start EU negotiations, provoking an unprecedented series of 3 "No" to EuroReferenda and 3 Majoriy Abstentions in EU Parliament Elections : 1999, 2005 and 2009, (even if the latest one succeeded to decelerate and almost stop the drop of participation rates, opening hopes for vote's revival after an electoral campaign clearly critical to Turkey's claims in several mainstream EU countries)
Therefore, Buzek was faced with manifold critical Questions on EU Enlargement, most of them citting concrete examples of certain political problems : But his replies were almost always given as a matter of general principle :
F.ex. Questioned on the suspension of EU - Croatia talks because of a Border conflict with EU Member Slovenia, Buzek prefered to speak about principles :
- "We know that during Enlargement, the process can be blocked by failure to resolve this kind of issues", This concerns also other enlargments' cases", and "these rules are always in force" he warned.
But Buzek avoided to directly reply to a queston on "French and German EPP' calls to define the Borders of Europe", as a German journalist asked him by making a reference to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Angie Merkel's, critical statements on Turkey at the June 2009 Electoral campain.
- "Concerning Enlargement, there's always the same rules : There have to be Criteria, which have to be respected if a Country wants to join the EU", he started to simply reply.
- "For my country (Poland) it took us 15 Years to fullfil these Criteria", Buzek reminded, indicating, if proportions are kept, that Turkey, fex. would have to spend some 25 years before eventually joining the EU..
- "Countries wishing to join the EU need to Change their Systems", as we (Poland and other former Eastern European Countries) did, he stressed.
- "'For me, meeting the condition of Human Rights is one of the Key conditions for membership in the EU", preferring again to speak from the point of view of General Principles, on the occasion of an untimely question on Serbia (which is not even a candidate yet)...
- "Turkey" has, "first of all", to fullfil (EU) Copenhagen criteria". Bevause, currently, none of them is fullfiled by Turkey", New EU Parliament's President, denounced, speaking later to a group of Journalists, including "EuroFora".
In particular, on Human Rights : - "We (EU) can never forget Human Rights", because "this is at the very Foundations of the EU", Buzek added.
On the contrary, when he referred to EU Enlargment for the "Western Balkans Countries ", Buzek appeared upbeat, finding "promising situations", despite "difficulties" in the Past, since "Countries are queuing to become EU members", and this "generated changes", as he said.
As for Russia, Buzek observed that it was a "very important" country, located "in the same Continent", Europe, "close to our borders", and "we need eachother". "But Russia' has 'differend poblems : "They claim that their system is Democratic, but rules are differend", and we must be "aware of such differencies", fex. "on Human Rights", that we can't ignore, as he said;
Concerning China, where a journalist observed that the recipient of EU Parliament's latest "Sakharov prize" for freedom of thought is "still in prison", Buzek found that since the 1999 events in Tien Amin square, "we see differencies on Human Rights still today", and expressed his "support" for those who try to ameliorate the situation.
On the contrary, speaking recently to "EuroFora" he strongly supported the idea for an EU - Ukraine cooperation, fex. between Airbus and Antonov, in order to build a less costly but more performant than the old and problematic A400M, new Military Transport Airplane : - "They (Ukranian Antonov Company) can certainly do it. I'm sure they can. It's a good Idea, and I'd be glad if it was done", he told us. (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/airbusantonov.html )