This pandemic must teach many lessons, despite all the suffering that still surrounds us. There are many reports that demonstrate the impact of social distance and restricted mobility on reducing nitrogen dioxide levels in large Brazilian cities. We must recognize the moment in which we live as an opportunity to understand the impact of pollution on people’s health and emphasize the importance of strengthening the role that biofuels have in the future of the planet.
In the article “Recovery has to be green”, Marina Grossi, president of the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), assesses that “many of the solutions that await us in the post-pandemic economic recovery must consider the acceleration process for a new decarbonized economy. Either we take the opportunity to return to activity, putting the global economy on a path to the “net zero” world, that is, zero net emissions, or we will be trapped in a fossil system that we will not be able to escape from. We are at this point now “.
The European Commission presented on May 27 its proposal to reform the post-pandemic economy. The “Next Generation EU” plan defines investments of 750 billion euros to help countries affected by the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The document also includes an additional 1.1 trillion euros via the European Union budget for the next seven years. The plan reserves 25% of resources for initiatives aligned with efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
In April, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released the Global Energy Review 2020 (see the study link below). The report presents an overview of the sector in the last quarter and indicates the trend of energy use and CO2 emission levels in 2020, in addition to the likely changes in attitudes in this pandemic year. I suggest a thorough study of this document.
Above all, here in Brazil, we have a starting point with policies for the use of biofuels that must be explored and promoted at this new level of social awareness. At the same time, Latin America will be a new hub for the production of advanced biofuel from the Omega Green project in Paraguay.
This window of opportunity must be used by all of us to promote a new, healthier and more sustainable environment.
This is the new way.