Renewable Energies, Sustainability and Law (original) (raw)

Renewable energies are considered by many the driving force of the economy of our future society. However, there is a difference between reality and the perception of the situation by governments, economic players, and communities. We need more transparency, simplification, and data communication skills towards a committed involvement of all stakeholders. Geopolitics and technological development are two drivers of a common issue. They are, though, not necessarily aligned with energy and climate political goals. Globally, we find different problems and solutions in the two hemispheres. In the EU, problems and solutions are common throughout the Union, but some political hesitation prevails. We need innovative solutions for a smooth transition to a market organization that includes renewables and accurate risk management in investment programmes. 1 The circular economy is a "virtuous idea" for interrupting the classical one-way model of production, where goods are manufactured from raw materials, sold, used and discarded as waste. It started with the concept of recirculation of resources, firstly discussed in the Stockholm Conference (1972) and then formulated at the 2012 World Economic Forum. In 2015, the European Commission adopted its first circular economy action plan, COM(2015) 614, which was replaced, in 2020, by the new Circular Economy Action Plan, COM(2020) 98 final. The circular economy action plan is now one of the key building blocks of the European Green Deal, along with clean energy.