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Welcome to the Public Symposium of the CAETS 2024 annual conference in Helsinki.

The Council of Finnish Academies and the Finnish Academy of Technical Sciences are hosting the CAETS 2024 conference which is the annual conference of International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences, CAETS (www.newcaets.org).

The theme of the Public Symposium is Carbon Neutral Technologies and Society. The program includes sessions on technical solutions, social and economic impact, and the EU and global perspectives. The Finnish pioneering solutions will be extensively communicated to the audience, e.g., by ExpandFibre, Neste and Solar Foods.

Program structure:

1.7. Cocktail Reception at the Helsinki City Hall
2.7. Public Symposium Carbon Neutral Technologies and Society
      Optional excursion to Suomenlinna sea fortres
3.7. Public Symposium Carbon Neutral Technologies and Society
       Conference Dinner
4.7. Optional excursions organized by ExpandFibre and Solar Foods

The Conference is organized as on-site event. The program and all practical information are available on www.caets2024.org

Registration for the CAETS 2024 annual conference is open at www.caets2024.org/registration.

Please register online by 31 May 2024.

Looking forward to seeing you at the CAETS conference!

CAETS 2024 Organizing Committee

 

The new EASAC Commentary on Plastics sheds light on the plastics crisis and how it could be addressed in ongoing negotiations about an international Plastics Treaty. Systemic failures are driving rapid growth in production, consumption and leakage of plastics in the marine, terrestrial and freshwater environments. With current policies, global plastic waste is expected to nearly triple by 2060.

The 21st century is likely to be remembered as the “plastic age”. Today the planet is literally drowning in plastics. Global plastic waste is expected to nearly triple by 2060, unless drastic measures are taken.

The summary of the latest scientific evidence aims to inform negotiations of a much-needed International Plastics Treaty. “Negotiators must tackle the conflicts in the whole system,” says EASAC’s Prof. Michael Norton. “It will hurt commercial interests and thus not be a piece of cake. But to slow and reverse damage to the environment, biodiversity, and ultimately risks to human health, the Treaty must put an end to the continued growth in the production of plastics.”

Reducing plastics pollution by 80 % by 2040 demands a circular economy

According to the scientists, it is time to make the polluters pay. Voluntary mechanisms and market mechanisms are insufficient to address the problem. They make clear that banking on growth is not an option, not least because switching to many so-called “bio”-materials cannot be justified on resource or environmental grounds either.

Environment Co-chair Professor Andràs Bàldi explains: “Plastics do not rot; they only break down in smaller pieces and do not decompose. Meanwhile, the resulting micro- and nanoplastics have spread everywhere on the planet and are also found in our bodies. While the fatal effects on marine life are very obvious, we still do not have the evidence to allow us to assess our own risk from plastic contamination.”

To set up an International Plastics Treaty for success, EASAC advocates a system approach to reduce the volume of plastics production and consumption, ensure all plastics are reusable, recyclable or compostable, and keep plastics in circulation for as long as possible. Models suggest that by reducing demand by 30 % and increasing the recycling rate to 20 %, plastic pollution could be reduced by 80 % by 2040.

10 Science-based Recommendations for an International Plastics Treaty

• Set a target for reducing plastic primary production with the aim of reducing the overall need, demand and use of packaging
• Ensure all plastics are reusable, recyclable or compostable to allow circularity
• Internalise all external (environmental, social, health) costs into the basic market price for virgin resin
• Make product designers and retailers responsible for minimizing single use for on-the-go- items and make the responsible path the cheapest option to change consumer behaviour
• Ban deliberate addition of microplastics to products
• Commit to increasing the safety, durability, reusability, refillability, repairability, and refurbishing capability of plastic products
• Incentivise companies to collaborate in reverse supply chains
• Request life-cycle-analysis and proper biodegradability standards for resins claiming biodegradability
• Extend producer responsibility to all costs related to waste management
• Allow only exports from OECD to those non-OECD countries that consent and fulfil the criteria to treat such waste in an environmentally sound manner

Read the full report here: EASAC Commentary: Towards a Plastics Treaty

The European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC) is a cooperation organization of European science academies. The Council of Finnish Academies (CoFA) is a national member of EASAC.

EASAC’s new report “The Future of Gas” examines phasing out the use of natural gas and replacing it with sustainable energy solutions. The report also offers independent science-based advice for policy makers on regulating the use of gaseous fuels in the transition to a decarbonized, secure and affordable European Union (EU) energy system by 2050.

The report “Future of Gas” by The European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC) highlights the extremely high global warming potential of largely unrecorded methane leakages along the whole natural gas supply chain. Natural gas is not cleaner than other fossil fuels – using it instead of coal or oil risks achieving little or no reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) effects. According to the report, policymakers, finance sector and energy suppliers and users should work together to secure adequate supplies of clean energy while rapidly phasing out the use of natural gas, together with other fossil fuels.

The report has been prepared in collaboration with the EASAC’s 28 member academies. The Council of Finnish Academies appointed Professor Hanna-Leena Pesonen from University of Jyväskylä to the EASAC energy panel and LUT University Research Director Petteri Laaksonen to the report working group.

“The war of aggression started by Russia and the subsequent EU sanctions have further increased the availability risks related to natural gas as imported energy, which has made the subject even more critical than anticipated. The perspectives related to the replacement of natural gas and the report’s recommendations are essential for the Finnish energy system as well”, Hanna-Leena Pesonen states.

High priority messages for the EU policymakers, investors and stakeholders

EASAC’s messages for EU policymakers, investors and other stakeholders address three key dimensions of policies for the future of gas: GHG emissions reduction, security of energy supplies and affordability. Some of the report’s messages relate to an on-going discussion as the European Commission has already made a proposal to address procedures related to the use of natural gas.

The report highlights six high-priority messages. The first measure raised is improving energy efficiency by reducing energy demands in buildings, industry and transport. Secondly, building more renewable electricity generators and electricity supply infrastructure can help to phase out unbated natural gas, together with coal and oil. To ensure energy security in EU, the EU should produce sustainable technologies and diversity supplies of critical raw materials and sustainable fuels.

The report also highlights the importance of a ban on installing new gas boilers in buildings due to their high consumption of natural gas. Instead of the boilers, the report recommends switching to heat pumps with renewable electricity or district heating. Finally, the report proposes measures to support vulnerable households and businesses with high energy bills, and retrain and expand the EU workforce to produce and install sustainable energy technologies and fuels.

Read the full report here: https://easac.eu/publications/details/future-of-gas

The European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC) is a cooperation organization of European science academies. The Council of Finnish Academies (CoFA) is a national member of EASAC.

In their new report “Towards Low-GHG Emissions From Energy Use In Selected Sectors”, the Energy Committee of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS) reviews existing technologies which can be used immediately to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in seven key sectors. The examined sectors are Food and Agriculture, Buildings and Smart Cities, Oil and Gas, Chemicals, Cement, Iron and Steel, Information and Communication technologies.

The deployment of these technologies would lead to deep emission reduction before 2040. However, these technologies are not sufficient to meet net zero targets by mid-century. Net-zero goal describes the reduction of greenhouse gases in accordance with the 1.5 C goal, and the neutralization of the remaining emissions from 2050 onwards. Therefore, the report also highlights research and development needs for new or improved technologies and demonstrations for the near ready technologies (RD&D).

The new report was written by the members of the Energy Committee in 2021-2022. The Report offers insights, conclusions and recommendations that are useful for leaders of industry, governments, professional organisations, non-governmental organisations, and citizens to reach the 2030-2050 goals on GHG emissions.

The report indicates that reducing GHG emissions, especially carbon dioxide (CO2), can be achieved through the electrification of all or part of the energy used, from home heating and cooking to industrial processes. The potential of the reduction depends on the sources of electricity, which highlights the importance of decarbonising the production of electricity. Electricity and heat categorised as low-carbon are mainly produced by hydro, solar, wind and nuclear power.

In addition to low carbon electricity, central to reducing emissions is low-carbon heat, including the direct thermal use of solar radiation or heat networks using low-carbon sources and waste heat from industry. The report reminds that some industrial processes cannot be fully electrified, like cement production.

Another approach is to capture the CO2 which is produced on industrial sites and to use it or to store it underground (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage, CCUS). The report indicates that the use of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) will certainly be needed to reach “net-zero” by mid-century.

The report emphasises the urgency of actions to reduce emissions and advocates massive and rapid deployment of the available technologies. The difficulty lies in implementing them quickly and affordably, in a way that is tailored to each country, region and sector of activity. This will not be possible without long-lasting support from governments and, last but not least, consumers and citizens. 

Some of these technologies are already deployable while others are near-to-deployment and promising. Together, these technologies allow very significant emission reductions. However, the report stresses the importance of supporting RD&D and developing interaction between universities and engineering companies to improve existing technologies and promote the development of new ones. This provides opportunities to explore potentially new, easier and shorter paths to succeed in globally reducing our GHG emissions in the next 27 years.

Read the Full Report: https://www.newcaets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/CAETS-ENERGY-REPORT-2022.pdf

CAETS (The International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technical Sciences) is a global cooperation forum of engineering and technical science academies. The Council of Finnish Academies is a member of CAETS. In 2024 the chair of the cooperation forum will be Mika Hannula, the vice president of Turku University.

An EASAC report on the effects on neonicotinoid insecticides in 2015 led to an European Union wide ban of most damaging neonicotinoid pesticides. Now a new report by EASAC member academies confirms previous results about the detrimental effects of neonicotinoids and points out loopholes in the regulation.

The new report “Neonicotinoids and their substitutes in sustainable pest control” by The European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC) is focused on an area where the European academies together have had great impact in the past: pesticides and their use in European agriculture. Neonicotinoids are a class of neuro-active insecticides, chemically similar to nicotine, used in agriculture. 

The first report by EASAC member academies on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in agriculture was published in 2015. The report suggested that widespread use of neonicotinoids has severe effects on a range of organisms that provide ecosystem services like pollination and natural pest control, as well as on biodiversity. Furthermore the use of neonicotinoids in agriculture not only burdens the environment but also the climate as the manufacturing and logistics of neonicotinoids are a significant source of agricultural emissions.

“The new report confirms what the previous report suggested: neonicotinoids have detrimental effects on organisms, nature and biodiversity. General environmental contamination caused by neonicotinoids has adverse implications in relation to food production and global food security”, states Professor Ian Hardy, one of the contributors to the new report.

The report was prepared jointly by EASAC academies. Professor Ian Hardy from the Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki participated in the working group that prepared the report. 

Loopholes threaten to water down EU-level regulations

The 2015 report caused great alarm in many European Union (EU) Member States with the Environment minister of the Netherlands declaring an immediate ban on neonicotinoid pesticides. The discussion led to the European Parliament banning the most damaging neonicotinoid pesticides EU-wide, which was a great success for science-based advice to policy-making. Despite the ban there remain many loopholes in EU legislation regarding ‘neonics’.

“Despite the open field use of neonicotinoids is banned, the use in exceptional circumstances is allowed and particular farming groups can apply for exemption permits. These permits should only be granted in exceptional situations, but in many places they are given too readily and on a regular basis”, Hardy describes the report’s findings.

Another regulatory loophole highlighted by the report are new insecticides entering the market that are not classified as neonicotinoids, despite having similar effects.

“New, permitted insecticides can at worst be even more harmful than the banned neonicotinoids”, Hardy states.

The report suggests several measures to be taken to tackle the regulatory loopholes. These include better testing framework and regulatory framework, revision of risk assessment and promotion of integrated pest management instead of chemical insecticide use. 

Read the full report here: https://easac.eu/publications/details/neonicotinoids-and-their-substitutes-in-sustainable-pest-control. 

The European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC) is a cooperation organization of European science academies. The Council of Finnish Academies (CoFA) is a national member of EASAC.