“As with any other Cop, it is up to us to determine its success or failure and we know that we may not personally benefit from the results of our efforts, but this is not the important thing”. Giorgia Meloni closes her speech at COP29 in Baku by returning to explain that her point of view is that of “a mother who, as such, sees no greater satisfaction than in working for policies that make it possible for my daughter and her generation to live in a better world“.
The Prime Minister then closes by quoting William James, psychologist and ‘father’ of pragmatism in philosophy, when she says ‘act as if you could make a difference, because you can. A quote that covers the position expressed in the ‘heart’ of the speech during which Meloni notes, among other things, that “it is a priority that decarbonisation considers our production model and the sustainability of our social system”, because “we must protect nature and man” but “a too ideological and non-pragamatic approach risks leading us astray”. And, the Prime Minister warns, “at the moment there is not a single alternative to fossil fuels”.
We must have a realistic global vision”, reiterates Meloni, recalling that “the world population will reach 8.5 billion by 2030 and global GDP will double in the next decade”, which “will increase energy consumption, also – he notes – for the growing need required by development of Artificial Intelligence“. “We need – he continues – a balanced energy mix to improve the transition process. We must use all the technologies available, not only renewables, but also gas, biofuels, hydrogen, CO2 capture and, in the future, the nuclear fusion that could produce clean, safe and unlimited energy.”
The revival of the atom
In this regard, the Prime Minister claims that “Italy is committed to the forefront of nuclear fusion” and explains that “as part of our Presidency of the G7 we organized the first meeting of the World Group for Fusion Energy promoted by the International Atomic Energy Agency”. “We intend to relaunch this technology which could change history as it can transform energy from a geopolitical weapon to a widely accessible resource”, observes Meloni also relaunching on the front of “a new energy diplomacy, which multiplies the opportunities for cooperation between North and South of the world”.
“Our destinies are interconnected, and we can draw great opportunities from energy connections, which is why we wanted the climate-energy connection to be one of the pillars of the Mattei Plan for Africa, the equal cooperation strategy that Italy is pursuing , and which I am very happy that the Azerbaijani Presidency of COP29 has valorised as part of the ‘Climate for Peace’ initiative”, he continues.