Innovative environmental technologies needed for carbon neutrality: ATOMEXPO forum participants

Sochi (Russia), March 25 (IANS) Experts from Russia, Brazil, India, China, Ethiopia, Belarus and other countries discussed priorities for the development of environmental technologies aimed at improving the quality of human life and the state of the environment at the ATOMEXPO 2024, which began here on Monday.  

ATOMEXPO 2024 is a global nuclear power conference-cum-exhibition organised here by Russian integrated nuclear power major Rosatom.

"The introduction of innovative environmental technologies is a necessary condition for achieving the carbon neutrality paradigm," said Kirill Komarov, First Deputy Director General for Corporate Development and International Business of Rosatom.

According to him, the energy transition to new types of green energy, including nuclear energy, storage systems, solar geoengineering, green cities, quantum solutions and digital environmental monitoring, as well as effective waste management, are becoming new business opportunities for the technology development of states.

In many of them, Rosatom has already achieved certain success and it is ready to offer a highly qualified scientific and technology base in partnership interactions, he said.

"In order to develop and transfer advanced environmental technologies, it is necessary to create an international R&D infrastructure. At the same time, joint discussion of the environmental agenda must remain outside of politics, because the future of our planet and the life of subsequent generations depends on it,” he emphasised.

Svetlana Radionova, Head of Russia's Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources, drew attention to the fact that fulfilling obligations in the implementation of the provisions of the Stockholm and Basel Conventions was one of the most important tasks of the environmental agenda of her country.

She took the initiative to support Russia's proposal to harmonise deadlines in the framework of decision-making on the transboundary movement of waste under the Basel Convention, namely: establishing specific deadlines for sending responses on the possibility/impossibility of importing hazardous waste for the purpose of subsequent safe handling when assessed by the countries party to the convention.

“Our country’s proposals are based on the principle of prior informed consent, time-bound, to ensure environmental and economic efficiency while respecting environmental regulations. Clear, accurate, and reliable information about the safe disposal of imported wastes in this procedure is important for countries when considering and making import decisions. At the same time, the deadline for the importing country to respond about the possibility/impossibility of import is not regulated at the international level. The consequences of a late response and the impossibility of planning activities can be financial losses, harm to the environment and public health,” she noted.

Brazil's Vice Minister for Urban Environment and Environmental Quality Adalberto Maluf said: "Exchange of experience is crucial when developing and implementing new environmental technologies, especially when complying with international obligations. Close partnerships are needed to learn lessons and discuss the adaptation of technologies developed abroad to local conditions and realities."

According to the round table participants, an international partnership dialogue on consolidating the efforts of businesses and governments in the field of using advanced environmental technologies, decarbonising the economy, and scaling successful practices in the world is supposed to ensure the formation of a technology foundation using the best national environmental solutions – such as, for example, international scientific and production engineering centre for environmental technologies and its advanced developments aimed at improving the standard of living on the planet.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at [email protected])