Sustainability News May 2022
At Rescript, we are deeply committed to staying ahead of the curve when it comes to developments in the world of sustainability. We realised that reporting on the subject is fragmented and scattered, making it nearly impossible to get a consolidated view of all the happenings in one place. So, to help our readers get to know everything that they need to know, we decided to start this theme on our blog, where we’ll gather information from different corners of the internet and publish it on our blog, at the end of each month. Welcome to the first edition of Rescript’s Sustainability News Roundup. Let’s dive right in:
The United Nations issues a call to rescue Sustainable Development Goals
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres has urged the global community to rescue Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) and make following them a top priority. Speaking at an event held during the Economic and Social Council's (ECOSOC) Operational Activities for Development event, he said, "In a world in crisis, rescuing the Sustainable Development Goals is more important than ever. When we see most of the SDGs moving backwards by the accumulation of crises we are facing, to rescue them must be our highest common priority,"
India to receive 10 billion euros from Germany for green projects
Under the Joint Declaration of Intent on Green and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of External Affairs or the MEA has informed the media that Germany has made a commitment to provide 10 billion euros of additional and new financial assistance to India. Interestingly, the Foreign Secretary also highlighted that this agreement would focus strongly on green hydrogen and renewable energy sources.
Researchers from IIT Madras Develop model for bacteria-based cement production
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras have developed a structured model that helps in the production of bio cement, an environmentally friendly sustainable process that creases cement. The principle advantage of bio cement is energy efficiency, since it needs only 30 to 40 degrees celsius to produce, whereas conventional cement production requires temperatures above 900 degrees.
How circular economies are the key to accelerating net-zero transportation
While circular economies have been a buzzword all throughout 2021, things are really starting to pick up. To make new technologies sustainable, it would seem that circular economies are the only way to go.
While electrifying road transport is getting fast-tracked with the EV market getting hotter by the day, the need to build the supporting infrastructure is increasing multifold. You could see it as a chicken and egg problem. Regardless of the number of electric vehicles that are available for sale, the larger population could be deterred from buying them due to a lack of charging infrastructure.
Recycling existing batteries is crucial to sustain the green transformation. Recycling batteries help ensure we extract fewer raw materials from the earth. The environmental impact of electrified products can be minimized by designing batteries with circularity and recycling in mind.
