Cutting
emissions down starting from the entertainment sector:
an Italian example
Italy’s
AzzeroCo2 delves into a polarity of different modes of reducing carbon
emissions through innovative methods.
BY GUIA BAGGI
“AzzeroCO2” in Italian means to cut CO2 emissions down
to zero andit is in fact an
organization that has a realistic prerogative of implementing these reductions
in Italy.
The organization strives on plans of how to reduce energy consumption and how
to compensate for irreducible emissions through forestry and renewable energy
sources plants.
Limiting Carbon footprints
For instance, in 2008, Enel, the Italian national
energy company, supporting Jovanotti’s, a popular singer, tour, applied to
AzzeroCO2 for a consultancy to limit its carbon footprint.
The tour
minimal emission quotas had been calculated to be 1,863 tonne of CO2
produced for 97,8% by transport, 1,9% by energy and 0,3% by materials.
According to the organization, the plantation of 2,662 trees would have
neutralized the greenhouse gases caused by Jovanotti’s concerts.
It is just an example, but Enel believes music
concerts are responsible for 0.01% of national CO2 emissions. Jovanotti’s
model has been followed by Tiziano Ferro, another singer, and by
a football team.
So, since 2008 AzzeroCO2 has developed particularly
the sustainable music sector. Another project related to it is ‘Green Hou’r,
a sustainable happy hour.
Zero CO2 emissions cookery paves way for an innovative
method of a ‘greener’ mode of home economics and more about domestic energy
consumptions
In Italy
some tidbits are often served with drinks and Green Hour introduces
another element, the zero CO2 emissions cookery.
And it is also the topic of
“In Fucina”, a cookbook published by AzzeroCO2, about zero emissions
nutrition and its fundaments that are seasonal periodicity, territoriality
and cooking methods.
But AzzeroCO2 does not only deal with events. In 2005 the limited liability company, compounded by
the Italian environmentalist NGOs Legambiente, Kyoto club and the research
institute Ambiente Italia. It authenticated it-self as an (ESCo), Energy Service
Company, to offer scientific technical support to citizens, local authorities
and companies.
About domestic energy consumptions, it confers energy
certificates and helps people to access to incentives to install renewable
energy sources. To local authorities AzzeroCO2 provides planning
and management for energetic redevelopment: from public lighting to
transport, from waste to buildings.
But as Andrea Seminara, AzzeroCO2 Sales,
Marketing and Communication Director, says, “As regards public authorities
we are betting more on quality than quantity”.
The Energy Service Company, ESCo and its complete path
to reduce carbon footprints
In fact, the ESCo’s main clients are companies. The
complete path offered to reduce carbon footprint begins with a
questionnaire on energy consumptions, materials and transport.
Consequently, direct interventions as energy saving and renewable sources
are applied. Afterward, the rest of emissions are
neutralized purchasing carbon credits on the voluntary market. They are,
then, enlisted on an apposite register to guarantee their traceability and
a third authority certifies them.
The credits are often translated
in forestry or in other compensating projects. Tree plantations
are usually done in national parks and urban areas, as near as possible to
the location of the event to neutralize and following forest plan and
ethic code.
At the end of the process the ESCo confers its trademark to
its client. In this sense, f or this complete path, Andrea Seminara states, it
is a unique experience in Italy.
AzzerCO2 is a little similar to the Kyoto Protocol in terms of its objectives
A fundamental aspect to point out about AzzeroCO2 is its
actions are parallel to the Kyoto Protocol and the EU directive
2003/87CE about Emissions Trading. In fact, the ESCo appeals to those
companies not indicated as the main responsible for CO2 emissions by
the National Assignment Plan that has acknowledged the related
EU directive.
Delving deeper into the paradox
But here there is a paradox. Italy is not currently reaching the
Kyoto Protocol target. In fact, in 2002, Italy has been told to reduce
her CO2 emissions within 2012 at 483 Mt, that was the 6,5% less than the 1990
quotas. In 2006 Italy
produced 567,9 Mt, the 9,9% above the 516 Mt of 1990.
And in 2008 EU has
committed to Italy
to cut emissions of the 13% less than 2005 for 2020. And even if the industry
sectors individuated as the major pollutant are not tackling with that,
fortunately some others are taking on them-selves this responsibility.
For
AzzeroCO2 Sales, Marketing and Communication Director, “Italian problem is that
companies are not able to exploit the energy saving advantages in terms
of profit.
The betlies in the companies’ competing capacity of
reducing costs and investing in sustainability”. And he announced the
AzzeroCO2 future expansion perspective is to become more
international, exporting its system abroad thanks to its multinational clients.
Guia
took up journalism while attending a vocational course about local radio in
Florence, Italy.
After an internship, she decided to enroll at the Media and Journalism course
at the FlorenceUniversity. She worked in community and
local radios, in the local newsroom of a newspaper, with a multimedia service
company for a digital television reporting from Florence. She is now attending the first
semester of the Erasmus Mundus Journalism programme in Aarhus and her
specialization will be in Media Systems, Journalism and Public Spheres in a
Comparative Perspective. Guia is looking forward to the Climate Change
Conference in Copenhagen.
