Opinions

COVID-19 brought slowed the activity of otherwise busy factories and made cities look like ghost towns as health precautions kept workers in their homes and supply chain disruptions challenged production for many big industries.

The COVID-19 crisis has had a severe impact across the globe, not just from a health but also from a societal and economic perspective. Alleviating and recovering from the pandemic must be at the top of anyone’s agenda: we need to boost economies, (re-) creating sustainable jobs and growth across the EU.

Sustainable, efficient energy infrastructure, alongside building efficiency retrofit, are investments that can support countries boosting economic growth and mitigating climate change. The district energy sector can take up the challenge.

Our cities are growing rapidly in terms of inhabitants and the space they occupy. Every minute, we add 10,000 square metres of city space. Every five days, we build a new Paris. Each year, the total size of Japan.

The global water crisis is not a new story. Every year, I review statistics that are becoming all too familiar: an expected 40% gap in the global water supply, the 2.1 billion people who lack access to safe drinking water and the fact that water has ranked in the top five risks for eight consecutive years in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report.

We are running out of time to meet the Paris Agreement and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 on sustainable energy – “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”.