Decarbonization and ecological transition are two of the challenges from which Italy must start in order to exploit the opportunities of a Super Smart Society. With the aim of developing a sustainable, resilient and human-centric society in the coming years. An achievable goal, as long as we accelerate innovation: Italy, in fact, today ranks fifth from last – a long way from Germany and France – as regards the innovation ecosystem. This is what emerges from the 2022 Report “Super Smart Society: towards a more sustainable, resilient and human-centric future”, created by the Innotech Community of The European House – Ambrosetti and presented at the eleventh Technology Forum.
The Report discusses the new concept of Super Smart Society and contains the update of the Ambrosetti Innosystem Index (AII), which considers the last three years of available data 2018-2020 and classifies the overall innovation performance of 22 benchmark countries through the ” analysis of 14 key performance indicators.
In particular, as regards the ambitious decarbonisation objectives defined by the Member States of the European Union, the importance of intervening in the transport sector emerges, which is currently among the most polluting: in 1990 it represented 14% of total emissions, while in 2019 25%. And Italy, the second European country for motorization rate, will have to intervene above all on the private car front.
«We need a shock to investments» Alessandro Viviani of Ambrosetti who then explains: «The problem is not in the lack of technology or finance, but in the bureaucratic obstacles». On the other hand, 34 billion euros will be allocated by the NRP to the electric conversion of public and private transport, the development of rapid mass transport and the digitalization of logistics.
By decarbonization we mean the process of reducing the carbon-hydrogen ratio of energy sources, Viviani focuses heavily on increasing hydrogen “because there is the interest of many companies”, but is also realistic looking at the historical moment with the war in Ukraine which caused energy prices to soar. Europe is divided on the Russian gas embargo, but Moscow could speed up the pace and turn off the taps on the Old Continent. For this the expert says: “We must obtain all the decarbonisation possible, but as soon as it is available”. Aware that the road will not be easy.
On the operational level, a hub to store CO₂ off Ravenna is being created, the first in the Mediterranean to be able to exploit the completely impermeable disused gas fields. And record figures also concern nuclear fusion, which, in 2020, recorded 300 million private investments in companies in the sector. Finally, the contribution of digital technology to the decarbonization process will be fundamental: in 2050, the sectors in which the highest CO2 savings are expected thanks to the adoption of digital technologies include transport (-22.8%), electricity production ( -13.4%) and industrial processes (-8.6%).
«Our future has three major challenges: digitization, climate change, global health. The three challenges are obviously linked “says Professor Massimo Santarelli of the Polytechnic of Turin, Rector’s referent for issues related to hydrogen, who then adds:” Energy plays a fundamental role in the challenge of climate change, but it must also support the other two challenges and must do it cleanly (in order not to have adverse effects on the climate). Even in digitization: think of the impressive increase in energy consumption linked to IoT computing centers, for example for self-driving cars. It can be seen that energy management remains a central issue. But the problem, in renewables, is bureaucratic. An agreed action with industry sectors is needed to streamline internal procedures within the States, but above all an agreed action at European level to reduce regulatory barriers between member countries and to negotiate as a Commission agreements with third countries such as the northern area. Africa and the Gulf ».