Professor Emilio Palomares, director of the ICIQ, appeared today before the Energy Transition Committee of the Parliament of Catalonia as part of the proposed law on urgent measures to protect climate security. During his speech, Palomares defended that research is one of the fundamental tools to offer real solutions to the challenges of the climate emergency, while placing industrial decarbonization as a priority axis for the Catalan economy. “If in the end people lose their jobs, we will not only have a climate crisis, but it will be a social crisis,” he warned.
The director of the ICIQ highlighted the strategic role of Tarragona, which is home to the largest chemical hub in southern Europe, as the ideal place to lead the energy transition and “the great industrial revolution in Europe“. Palomares stressed that the chemical industry is not the problem, but an “indispensable part of the solution” to achieve climate neutrality.
In this regard, the institute’s leading projects stand out, such as the design and construction of pilot plants for industrial decarbonisation. This project, endowed with 22 million euros of ERDF funds, acts as a bridge between the laboratory and industry to validate technologies for capturing and using CO2 in semi-industrial environments.
Situation of the chemical sector
Despite the technological potential, Palomares has issued a warning about the situation of basic chemistry in Europe. He cited data that indicate a real risk of divestment and job losses due to the high cost of energy and competition from markets such as the United States and China.
“The question is whether we want to decarbonise with industry here or with delocalized industry and imported emissions,” questioned the director of the ICIQ. In this sense, Palomares has proposed to the parliamentary groups a series of measures that could facilitate the energy transition for the industrial fabric, such as the use of the responsible declaration, competitive energy prices or zero-consumption tariffs. Palomares also called for Catalonia to bet on biogas.
Watch the full intervention here.
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