ENERGY: Efficiency and sustainability at the focus of the new “Silk Road” between Italy and China

Strengthening cooperation between Italy and China in the wake of the great trade and culture exchange tradition represented by the “Silk Road”, with particular focus on the new challenges posed by energy and sustainable development.

That is the objective of the conference “Friends on The Silk Road” recently held in Zhenjiang, a city East of China with a population of over 3 million people, and organized by the Italian Parliamentary Association “Amici della Cina” (Friends of China) and the China Foundation for Peace and Development.

The debate on energy, sustainable development, and new cooperation opportunities between China and Italy was addressed from a double perspective, political and technical-economic; during the session hosting ENEA, the importance was stressed of speeding up the pathway toward energy efficiency and renewable energy sources through technology transfer and innovation.

“We stressed the concept that energy efficiency is actually an ‘extra fuel’ – says Marina Leonardi, head of ENEA’s International Relations Service - In the developed countries, energy saving and efficiency policies have allowed to reduce energy demand by 40% in the last four decades: no other energy source has contributed so much ever. Yet, seizing the opportunities offered by energy efficiency is so crucial to emerging economies as they see their energy demand grow fast. Awareness must be encouraged – adds Marina Leonardi – of the enormous potential of energy efficiency so as to ensure the opportunities still unexplored in the construction, automotive and manufacturing sectors are soon implemented. This also holds true for air pollution, an issue which must be adequately and globally addressed”.

For further information:

Marina Leonardi, Head of the International Relations Service, ENEA Headquarters, marina.leonardi@enea.it