Rome wasn’t De-carbonised in Day

Happy Friday Friends.

As COP29 wraps up in Baku, I’m left with two thoughts. First: progress on climate change is more critical (and trickier) than ever. Second: if you’re looking to decarbonise, don’t expect a one-size-fits-all fix. I’ve also got a locally sourced (from the B&Q down the road) laminate floor to lay at the weekend. Sorry, that’s 3 thoughts.

We’ve heard some good stuff at this year’s COP, including Sir Kier promising to reduce by  81% and to be fair the UK is doing a great job on our net zero journey so far so I’m always optimistic.

Pledges are fantastic, but in the world of actual decarbonisation, actions speak louder than words, and they require a bit of elbow grease and that always throw up challenges.

The COP29 conference took a hard look at our global goals and how close (or not so close) we are to achieving them. Unlike previous COPs, this year’s conference had a finger pointing message, it’s time to turn the dial from “ambition” to “action.”

For all of us at Syntech Biofuel, this call couldn’t be clearer. We’re already knee-deep in the push to get the world off fossil fuels, but we know there’s a long road ahead.

The conversations at Baku held both promise and reality checks. We’re not moving away from fossil fuels as fast as anyone would like, yet renewable energy is making headway, and biofuels are standing out as a lifeline for sectors like aviation, construction plant and heavy transport, areas where, quite frankly, batteries just aren’t going to cut it for quite a while yet.

At Syntech, we’ve been pushing the needle on biofuel development to fill these gaps.

We’re in the weeds with R&D and production, testing, scaling, and re-testing – because progress in biofuels doesn’t happen by itself.

Baku served as a reminder that even as we speed things up, we’re in a marathon, not a sprint.

We have to cut through the green tape somehow and get things moving quicker.

One of the lighter moments from COP29? Watching politicians and industry leaders dance around “who’s responsible for what.”

This year, there was a big focus on “global regulatory alignment.”

Translation? We all need to be playing by the same rules, or we’re just kicking the emissions can down the road.

While that’s easier said than done, it’s heartening to see some groundwork being laid. I’m committed to supporting policies that help, not hinder, decarbonisation. The good news is we’re seeing shifts that support genuine sustainability efforts instead of bureaucracy  that slows everyone down.

Still, Baku made it clear that we need the right mix of innovation, government support, and good old-fashioned grit to make this happen.

At the closing of Baku, we’re reminded that the window to limit global warming is closing fast. And if this year’s COP told us anything, it’s that optimism only gets us so far – we need practical steps that everyone can get behind.

Despite the urgency, there’s good stories too. We may not have all the answers, but we’re at least asking the right questions and holding each other accountable. So, as we head into 2025, we’ll keep pushing forward, balancing big goals with grounded reality. At Syntech, we’re aiming to make biofuels that serve real industries and help real people. Our focus is on practical, scalable solutions that deliver both impact and integrity.

We’ll keep pushing our bio-based solutions forward to help carve out a greener future. The work isn’t easy, and the results aren’t always immediate, but as I like to say, “Rome wasn’t decarbonised in a day”!

Thanks for reading, have a beautiful weekend.

Mike

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