Reducing costs and gaining efficiency is no longer enough. Companies are incorporating new priorities into their roadmap, such as resilience, supply security, diversification, and decarbonization.

Chance (providence, some believe) has meant that Barcelona will host more than 2,000 executives on November 26, two days before the day of reflection and three days before election day for the general elections, at the congress organized by the CEDE Foundation. Managing uncertainty, digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), geopolitics, and the experiences of top executives are subjects that concern the 170,000 executives who are part of this organization, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary and is chaired by Isidre Fainé, president of the La Caixa Foundation and its investment arm, Criteria. Politics will not be the subject of the meeting, organized many months ago, but it will surely loom over the sessions, which have the motto "Creating value, building the future".

When asphalt reaches extreme temperatures in summer or when autumn storms flood the roadway, sustainable mobility faces a challenge of infrastructure and habits. In an inhospitable street, without shade, or on a very wet and slippery street, pedestrians tend to reject walking and the use of bicycles and scooters tends to drop significantly, if not collapse.

In the collective memory of those who traveled through cities during the nineties, that television campaign by the General Directorate of Traffic still resonates, which, under the slogan "Ponte el casco", tried to convince a generation of motorcyclists of the importance of wearing a helmet during their journeys.

The deployment of electric mobility in Barcelona has entered a second phase in which the number of charging points is no longer the only indicator of progress. In Barcelona, the transition has reached a maturity that makes it necessary to rethink the architecture of this public service.

A total of 109 companies and entities have contributed measures for more than a year to combat the climate crisis in the Barcelona metropolitan area. The proposals, within the framework of the so-called Climate Chapter of the business association Barcelona Global, were presented this Wednesday at the headquarters of the consulting firm EY in Barcelona. The report includes cases such as the manufacturing of a new Barcelona paving stone with 47% fewer emissions and 40% recycled aggregates by Sorigué, BSM (Barcelona de Serveis Municipals) parking lots converted into hubs with about 600 electric car charging points, or surplus fruit from Mercabarna that reaches social entities.

The province of Barcelona has established itself as the territory with the highest participation in Hostelería #PorElClima, the initiative developed by ECODES together with Coca-Cola, with the support of Hostelería de España, to accompany bars, restaurants, and cafes in their transition towards a more sustainable and low-carbon activity.

The fourth edition of the Barcelona City Council's 2030 Agenda Barcelona + Sustainable Awards has once again recognized and given visibility to extraordinary projects, initiatives, and actions in favor of a more sustainable city, including from the field of architecture. The awards have distinguished initiatives aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda and with the Citizen Commitment for a More Sustainable Barcelona 2024-2034.

Many of my generation felt challenged by the question “What world will we leave to our children?”. Forged, since Rio 92, in the first international agreements on CO₂ emissions, we have worked to make development compatible within the dynamics of ecosystems. The question today is “What children will we leave to our world?”. What values does the society that discusses energy transition have? Do we assume collective and generational responsibilities, with rigor, while resolving contradictions? In the world of AI, will we be able to preserve the capacities for analyzing complex issues, for relating scientific, technical, and humanistic knowledge to respond to the challenges we will face?

This summer has already left a series of human tragedies and on the landscape that invite us to think about the material conditions of our time. Thermodynamic and geological phenomena – such as high temperatures that force us to re-adapt to the environment, or the spiral of fires across the sub-European territory – and social dramas such as the massive flows of migrants arriving from Africa – and xenophobic reactions, this summer in Ceuta, last summer in Torre Pacheco – overlap in space and time. It is the time of heat and scarcity of the Earth.

While Europe is getting down to business with legislation that tightens the noose on plastics, the Government is processing the draft Catalan waste law, which is to replace the law from 1993. In fact, its drafting has been years in the making – it began to be drafted in 2018 – and, along the way, some of the flagship measures that had been planned have disappeared or have gone from being obligations to voluntary or promotional measures, such as the obligation to provide fiscal bonuses to citizens who carry out good selective collection. On the other hand, ambitious points for 2030 are incorporated, such as the obligation for municipalities to implement efficient collection systems or the prohibition of single-use cups at festive, cultural or sporting events. According to sources from the Department of Territory, the changes are due to the European and state context: they argue that it has changed "significantly" and that many measures from the 2022 text are now mandatory, such as the deposit, return and refund system (SDDR).

A new era is beginning regarding packaging and its waste. As of this Wednesday, European Union member states must apply the new packaging and packaging waste regulation, in effect since last year. The text regulates the sustainability and labeling of packaging throughout its life cycle and introduces restrictions on the production, use, and waste management with a view to 2050. However, some of the measures will not be enforceable until 2028, 2030, or even later.

Going to the beach and enjoying a good swim without the risk of contaminated water seems like the most natural thing in the world to us, but a few years ago it was unthinkable. On the beaches of the Llobregat delta, for example, swimming was prohibited because the water from this river reached them, one of the most polluted in Europe along with the Anoia. But all this changed thanks to a European Commission regulation, the Llobregat delta beaches, without going any further, swimming was prohibited because the water from this river reached them, one of the most polluted in Europe along with the Anoia. But all this changed thanks to a European Commission regulation, the Water Framework Directive, which since 2000 has recognized the importance of rivers for the sea, as a vital source of nutrients for marine life and sediments for the coast.Now this directive is at risk. The same European Commission that promoted it has raised a reform that can weaken it. The its proposal implies increasing the possibilities that projects considered "strategic" may prevail over current environmental legislation. Currently, member states can already request exceptions to compliance with certain directive obligations, but only in very specific and justified circumstances. The reform aims to broaden this margin of exception and adapt it to the new strategic priorities of the European Union. This could facilitate the authorization of projects linked to the extraction of critical raw materials (mainly for the production of various renewable energies) or related infrastructure for defence and security. These changes pose a huge contradiction with the current situation, given that, precisely now, measures have been approved to reduce polluting substances such as PFAS and microplastics in water, and we are also paying daily fines to the European Commission itself for not comply with the required levels of sanitation and water saving.If this reform is approved, there is a very clear risk: moving from a directive model based on the protection of aquatic ecosystems to a model that normalizes their degradation. And this would have direct consequences not only for rivers and aquifers, but also for the health of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems, and for people's daily lives.Therefore, this debate is more than a legal issue. It is about choosing what model of relationship we want to have with water. The Water Framework Directive introduced a paradigm shift: water is not managed solely with economic and political criteria, but places ecological criteria at the center to ensure the health of aquatic ecosystems and prevent their degradation.

In the heart of the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park, the Cadí tunnel, an infrastructure owned by the Generalitat de Catalunya, is much more than an infrastructure: it is an essential connection axis between regions and a key piece of mobility in the Pyrenees. With more than five kilometers in length, it is a strategic corridor that concentrates vehicle flows throughout the year.

The Airef, the independent body that controls public finances, warns that the debt write-off for autonomous communities will be "flawed" if not accompanied by a reform of the regional financing system. The president of Airef, Inés Olóndriz, has argued that "the logical course of action" would be: first, "realistic objectives", second, the reform of the financing system, and third, "measures to alleviate debt".

Economic analysis has promoted a strict conceptual distinction between, on the one hand, the total production of goods and services that an economy can potentially derive from its stock of capital and knowledge (the “fundamentals”) and, on the other, the institutions and norms that determine how production decisions are made and how the resulting gains are distributed among the members of the economy. It is a useful distinction, but one that can be dangerous if it opens the door to considering the former in isolation from the latter, as the realization of the potential described by the former may well depend on the latter. I will illustrate this with some examples.

The transformation project for the Three Chimneys of Sant Adrià de Besòs continues to take shape. Following the initial major presentation last March of what the interior of the iconic turbine hall of the former thermal power plant should look like – the future Catalonia Media City Now, its surroundings are also beginning to take shape. The Catalan government (Generalitat) announced this Saturday the winning proposal in the competition to design the future Three Chimneys Coastal Park, a green space of nearly 90,000 square meters in the Besòs Delta. One of its key features is its flood-proof design.

Sustainability is now a necessity and an essential part of the lives of people and companies seeking a better future. Caring for shared spaces is now an urgent need for our survival, and the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera is a prime example. Faced with the threat of climate change, action is the only option, and initiatives like those promoted by the Foundation demonstrate that transformation is possible.

More sustainable port facilities. This is one of the objectives of the energy transition plan presented this Tuesday by the Port of Barcelona. This document, derived from the port's fourth strategic plan, aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 50% by 2030 compared to 2017 levels, "the equivalent of the annual emissions of 240,000 cars." Furthermore, it intends to reduce them by 85% by 2040 with the goal "of becoming a carbon-neutral port by 2050." Investments in infrastructure are projected at approximately €920 million from private funds and €780 million from public funds. The plan encompasses all the measures the Port of Barcelona is developing to "decarbonize port activity, guarantee the supply of sustainable energy, both environmentally and economically, and become a leading center for energy activities." In this document, the Port of Barcelona ceases to treat energy as a commodity, considering it "a strategic factor, key to strengthening the competitiveness of the port and the region in an increasingly demanding global market." Furthermore, it adds that this transformation "will consolidate the Port of Barcelona's leadership in both the maritime and port sector and the entire logistics chain, driving the energy transition far beyond the port area." This roadmap includes an action plan with more than 150 initiatives, grouped into four main areas: the decarbonization of port activity; the sustainability of energy consumption; resilience to guarantee energy supply; and innovation to facilitate the emergence of new business models and the adoption of emerging technologies. Electrification

It incorporates concrete measures to promote energy efficiency, aiming for 50% of port activity to be electrified by 2030 and for 65% of container ship and cruise ship gangways to be connected to Operational Power Systems (OPS), allowing them to shut down their engines while in port—a figure that will increase to 0%. Local energy production is also a focus, with the goal of having 100 megawatts (MWp) of photovoltaic energy installed by 2030 and exploring approaches that enable strategic management. Furthermore, the production of 100,000 tons of sustainable fuels annually is planned, including both biomethane and synthetic fuels. These fuels are a key element in the decarbonization of maritime transport, as the capacity to supply them allows for participation in maritime green corridors and attracts the most efficient and sustainable ships. "The energy transition plan shapes port planning for the coming years and will transform our energy model, generating new business areas. All actions taken and to be taken in the Port of Barcelona are designed and planned with the energy transition in mind. Sustainability already permeates the entire port business," stated the president of José.

Barcelona aims to position itself as a leading city in sustainability. To achieve this, Barcelona+B asserts that it's essential to start in schools. This premise is the basis for the Eduquem+B project, a program that surveyed over 2,000 students from 29 schools across the city to determine if young people are prepared to face today's environmental and social challenges. The initiative, spearheaded by Barcelona+B with academic support from EADA Business School, begins with an innovative test. Be Ready for NowBased on the European GreenComp competence framework, the objective is clear: to diagnose what young people know about sustainability, how they act, and what skills they need to develop to become real agents of change. Training and raising awareness in educational institutions is the foundation for action.

The diagnosis reveals that students demonstrate a very positive attitude and a good level of understanding regarding environmental issues. They excel in systems thinking (69.1%) and in promoting nature (60.6%). However, only 42.8% express an intention to act in favor of sustainability, especially in the collective and political spheres. This contradiction worries the project's promoters. "Young people understand the complex nature of the problems, but they don't know how to act systemically; they don't act in groups or mobilize others," explains Federica Massa-Saluzzo, Director of Sustainability at EADA Business School. She points out that, historically, it has been young people who have driven major social transformations, and therefore considers the low level of civic participation detected "worrying." "We believe that good training and awareness-raising in schools could change this baseline," states Elena Damiá, Director of Barcelona+B at B Lab Spain.