The green transition is cost-effective and the medium-term costs it imposes should be seen as an investment, according to experts who addressed the Green Agenda Cyprus Summit that took place Monday in Nicosia. The conference was organised by weekly newspaper ‘Kathimerini’ and was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment.
Among the topics discussed during the summit were the impact of the climate crisis on health, finding the financial instruments to achieve the green transition, and the role of new. In addition, the Minister of Agriculture referred to the launched of a pilot programme for green roofs, while the Minister of Energy talked about hydrogen and said that providing no pollutants are produced during its production and its transport and storage are safe, hydrogen can be used as a fuel and as a “battery” for electricity storage.
The European Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra addressed the summit via a video message and said that there must
be consensus around the EU’s climate targets, without forgetting the competitiveness of EU’s businesses and a just transition for the citizens.
He said that in 2023, Cyprus lost over 1,900 hectares of land to wildfires, noting that this was by far the highest figure recorded in over a decade. Cyprus is also deeply affected by water scarcity, he added, noting that in 2019, water scarcity affected 29% of the EU territory, but over 50% of the area of Cyprus, Malta, Greece, Portugal and Italy.
Overall, he said, Cyprus has shown commendable progress pursuing the green transition over the 20 years since joining the EU, adding that projects like the Great Sea Interconnector will bolster Cyprus’ energy security, steering the country towards a more sustainable and resilient economy. “Cyprus holds immense potential in renewable energies that can be tapped into, especially in solar power”, he said.
The European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, said in her speech that, in 2022, Europe lost o
ver 60,000 lives to devastating heatwaves, while one in eight Europeans lives in areas potentially prone to river floods and around 30% of people in southern Europe face permanent water stress.
Referring to the health effects of climate crisis she noted that exposure to heat causes a whole range of adverse health effects, including heat stress, dehydration, sleep disturbances, hypertension, mental stress, especially among vulnerable groups of the population.
“Cyprus is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. We have seen landscapes change drastically in recent years affected by droughts”, Kyriakides said. She noted that we need to focus more on disease prevention, shifting more activity to primary care settings and making more use of telemedicine.
Tree planting and green roofs
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Addressing the event, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment said that the clock is ticking and expressed concern saying that the troubling reality is about the time left t
o limit our planet’s temperature increase below the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Noting that time is running out, she said that we also have to limit the tons of carbon dioxide that Earth can still absorb to limit this problem.
The Minister outlined the actions that are being planned utilising technology and scientific and research results of recent years and focused on the actions taken to increase green in Cyprus and reduce its carbon footprint, thus creating a more sustainable environment.
Specifically, she referred to three strategic objectives set by the Ministry, concerning planting trees, green roofs and the creation of an innovative small fishing boat that will not depend on fuel.
Asked to elaborate on the issue of green roofs, while participating in a panel, the Minister said it is an alternative method, to be combined with photovoltaics in houses, which has many positive things to offer. She said the roof of the Ministry of Agriculture will be transformed to a green roof with the ai
m to develop a guide describing what kind of plants will be planted and what technology will be used.
Asked about Akamas, she said it is being re-evaluated with rigorous environmental and technical scrutiny through a holistic approach.
The Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, George Papanastasiou, participated in a panel on hydrogen, energy storage, artificial intelligence. Asked about hydrogen as a fuel of the future, he said that provided that no pollutants are produced during its production and its transport and storage are safe, hydrogen can be used as a fuel and as a “battery” for electricity storage.
He noted that the Ministry thinks that hydrogen will be a fuel for heavy vehicles, for shipping, for aviation and for photovoltaic and wind power generation purposes, stored for use when there is no sunshine or wind.
Regarding the use of artificial intelligence, he said it is very important to direct production of electricity in real time where it is needed. He noted that the Ministry’s goal in th
e next two years is to have smart storage, smart meters in houses and solar farms become hybrid.
The Mayor of Nicosia, Constantinos Yiorkatzis, also participated in a panel and said that the actions taken in the Municipality of Nicosia are pioneering and unique in number. He referred to the removal of car lanes in important parts of the city, with the main goal of a more sustainable, green city.
Green transition is financially beneficial
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Oxford University economist Professor Cameron Hepburn said that the green transition can be a huge opportunity for a country like Cyprus.
He noted that the cost of the green transition today is much lower and, in many cases, negative. “It has become more economically viable. The cost of clean energy has come down and will continue, below the cost of fossil fuels”, he said, noting that there is a major economic opportunity on leaving fossils behind, since the age of new fossil demand is coming to an end.
According to research he quoted, the UK, a la
rge industrial economy, could run only on solar and wind power, even on very conservative assumptions.
“Cyprus is costly and filthy”, he said, referring to the country’s electric system, where oil is dominant. At the same time, he added, “you are the number one country in Europe for solar potential. This is nuts!”, he exclaimed, noting, however, the very rapid investments in solar power in the last years.
In a panel with representatives of Cypriot banks, the importance of coordinating government policies with banks in order to promote the financing of the green transition was discussed.
Source: Cyprus News Agency