Toward COP 29 in the spirit of Laudato si'

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

To combat the rise in global temperatures and climate change, the transition from fossil fuels to renewable and circular energy sources is essential.

This realization is to be at the forefront of a high-level presentation and debate being held in Rome's Palazzo Orsini, organized by the Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Holy See, on Monday, 16 September.

"In the Spirit of Laudato Si. Toward COP 29

The event, entitled "In the Spirit of Laudato si. Toward COP 29: Energy Transition as an Opportunity for Social and Employment Inclusion," will present the MAIRE Foundation’s study and developments leading up to COP 29 in Azerbaijan.

This research, presented during COP 28 in Dubai, involved 1,700 respondents from ten countries, including Italy, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, China, India, Algeria, Chile, and the United States.

The MAIRE Foundation study was conducted in collaboration with the multinational market research and consulting firm IPSOS.

The complete findings can be consulted here on the Foundation website, which reaffirms the entity's commitment to "fostering the training of tomorrow's 'humanist engineers' who will be able to apply their broad vision and multidisciplinary knowledge to contribute to the energy and digital transition."

Urgent need for energy conversion

From their data, the organization is appealing for a "profound change" in the industrial and economic landscape and energy conversion, warning that otherwise the environment will be harmed irreparably.

New skills and the reskilling of the current workforce are critical to this transition.

As confirmed by the study, engineers leading this transformation will have a more "humanistic" approach to how to confront the transition.

Net zero and carbon neutrality

Likewise, the Foundation calls for "a disruptive change in the way we train people needed to achieve net zero."

"As Fondazione MAIRE," it highlights, "we continue our commitment to help evolve society towards carbon neutrality goals through training and cultural incitement."

Opportunity for job creation and inclusion

The study reveals a growing awareness of the importance of skill development to tackle the energy transition, particularly in emerging countries in Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and South America.

Moreover, it indicates a new consciousness and leadership role emerging from these regions in the ecological transition.

Energy transition, the study acknowledges, not only serves as an urgent response to the climate crisis but also represents an unprecedented opportunity for job creation and the inclusion of women and minorities in the workforce.

Investment in education and training

In this context, the organizations insist that investing in education and training to meet these new challenges, with a focus on integral ecology, "is vital" to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.

In this way, they add, the proposal likewise aligns with the spirit of Pope Francis's groundbreaking 2015 Encyclical on the environment "Laudato Si."

During the event, the MAIRE Foundation will also launch a research grant for studies on integrating migrant flows into the workforce within the energy transition sector.

Panel of experts

Ambassador Antonio Zanardi Landi of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Holy See and Fabrizio Di Amato, President and Founder of the MAIRE Group and President of the MAIRE Foundation, will welcome guests, ahead of a presentation of the research by the Foundation's General Director, Ilaria Catastini.

Subsequently, there will be a panel discussion among Italy's Minister for the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi; Father Enzo Fortunato, the Communications Director for the Fabric of St. Peter's; and Cristina Finocchi Mahne, Member of the Advisory Board at Fordham Gabelli School of Business in New York and Professor at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan.

The panel will be moderated by Carlo Nicolais, the MAIRE Group's Director of Institutional Relations, Communications, and Sustainability.