Travel| Business Focus On

The Top 10 airports and new records in air traffic in Italy

In 2023, Italian airports reached a historic record, nearing 200 million passengers. The full return to pre-Covid levels has been completed with the excellent performance of the international segment and a positive trend confirmed in the first eight months of 2024

Zone 30: if the new city idea has a limit

The 30 kilometre per hour speed limit is spreading rapidly in urban areas. There is no shortage of detractors, but the model is increasingly being adopted to prevent accidents, reduce environmental impact and promote a more inclusive use of public space

The future of urban living: events and exhibitions to start 2024

From the Middle East to the United Kingdom, via Germany: the most interesting events among cultural institutions describe the contribution of design disciplines in the search for sustainable solutions dedicated to energy and living

COP28, historic result? But climate change does not wait for politics

The COP28 Global Stocktake recognises for the first time that combating global warming requires doing without fossil energy sources. However, climate action cannot target 2050, it must accelerate from this decade and the current commitments of countries are not sufficient to stop the emergency

System, skills, territory: this is the formula of Rome Technopole

An ecosystem of synergies and meetings between the business world, institutions and the university, based on research, training and innovation: Rome Technopole is the major project that aims to enhance excellence to support the growth of companies and communities that are part of an entire region

Decentralized. Web3 or the new identity in the cyber universe

What is it and how does the third-generation World Wide Web work, the heralded revolution facilitated by blockchain, promising to put the user back at the centre of the Net

On the road: 5 sustainable destinations for the modern tourist

From Japan to Peru, via the Mediterranean, here are some ideas for summer 2023 that combine beauty, culture and the travel experience with environmental protection and the drive for innovation

'Paying to pollute' is not enough. Anti-emissions strategies in aviation

Immediate measures to achieve decarbonisation targets in the aviation sector include auctions for emission allowances, offset programmes and specific taxation proposals. But action is needed on several levels: here is how the market and industrial research do and can play their part

Here's why everyone is talking about lithium

It is the new resource symbol of the ecological and digital transition in mobility and beyond. Growing demand is about to outstrip supply and may turn lithium into the “new oil”, 90% of whose production is concentrated in only three countries in the world

Road to COP28 in the hearth of the Gulf

2023 will be the “Year of Sustainability” in the UAE, which is hosting the next COP. The arabic country has already invested $50 billion in renewable energy and clean tech, and the same amount is planned for the years ahead

What if we’ve been in the metaverse already for some time?

Etymology does not lie: “meta” is a convergence between different dimensions. It is necessary to understand our times, unless we are entertained by provocations, anecdotes and other crypto-ludic varieties. Or slightly more

Everything we know (so far) about nuclear fusion

Profile of a possible new energy source, which would have a limited environmental impact. Scientific research has been at work since the 1950s, but the first power plants may only be realised as of 2050. And meanwhile the world's energy needs are growing

'Failure'? No. There is at least one historic achievement of COP27

It is the creation of a fund to help countries affected by damage and losses caused by the climate crisis, which has been overdue for 30 years. However, the negotiations on loss & damage left the mitigation and fossil fuel front uncovered

Autumn is here: strategies for the EU gas crisis

Here is what has changed in the policies and strategies of the European Union and individual major countries to implement the abandonment of Russian gas in favour of other sources and suppliers, seven months after the start of the war in Ukraine

The 'ecomodernist' perspective on the environmental issue

Technological innovation and economic growth can coexist alongside the ecological transition, accompanying and indeed supporting it, under the banner of a renewed humanism. Michael Shellenberger presents his divergent theory from traditional environmentalism in his book 'The Apocalypse Can Wait'

Is electrification putting workplaces at risk?

The European plan "Fit For 55" is aiming at reducing emissions in mobility. But the change in production raised concerns among industry associations and components makers, about workplaces put at risk by this radical change. Is the "green" emergency and innovation a foe to full employment?

What is cloud seeding, a try to relief from draught

This technique was discovered in the 1940s, and is nowadays used in arid nations to stimulate rainfalls. More than fifty countries have already used it, and many others are planning to give a chance too

Like trains, but on the motorway: here is “truck platooning”

Seeing a truck travelling without a driver might not be so unusual in the future. Communication and semi-automated driving technologies are already making it possible to create fleets of trucks connected to each other and to the infrastructure to reduce consumption and emissions, increasing efficiency and safety

Eyes on the Red Sea, a strategic passageway for the world

When a giant container ship was stuck in Suez Canal, shock waves went across the world economy. Anyway, the Red Sea is not just a corridor for logistics but also an authentic chessboard for regional and global powers

The case of “ghost flights” in the skies over Europe

In the midst of the pandemic, some airlines had empty planes take off in order to retain the right to airport slots. A secondary market and the creation of a true Single European Sky could be a solution to this contradiction between outdated rules and the need for greater sustainability

A Museum of the Future to be part of tomorrow

The iconic cultural venue in Dubai takes the visitors on a voyage into the future, but it is also home to an international debate among scientists and innovators, it supports research and is an opportunity for a new generation to become part of the future

The capabilities of hydrogen for industry and transport

It could make an important contribution to reducing emissions where electrification is more difficult and in sectors hard to abate. The Hydrogen JRP is a research centre by the Politecnico di Milano, for a research chain between universities and the business world

The countdown to electric charging in the EU has already begun

The Green Deal aims at having one million charging points in the European Union in three years, but problems of several types complicate the take-off of electric mobility. The latest deadline for completing the deployment of a modern infrastructure is 2035

Keeping the balance of values in an upset world-market

Countries all over the world have rediscovered the value of safety in economy, after two years of pandemic and the outbreak of the war in Russia-Ukraine. But this fair need must not be mistaken as an end of globalization

Internet goes “Splinternet”: warfare on the web media

The public digital space is the new battlefield to conquer the public opinion, as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine shows. Such a divergence may lead to a partition of the Internet: the “Splinternet”

Behind the camera: how biometric boarding is used in airports

Airlines are introducing biometric technology at gates to make traveling more seamless for customers deterred by onerous Covid requirements. Nevertheless, some concerns over privacy and the tech’s reliability still need to be addressed

Smart grids for energy and the smart cities: a vital combination

The future of energy grids lies in decentralisation: combined with information technologies will supply power to the smart cities of the future, delivering energy just when and where needed

The new tools at the foundations of modern infrastructures

Digitalisation and management of big-data pave the way for new perspectives in the infrastructure sector. Monitoring systems and diagnostics can be integrated into traffic management systems, providing countries with modern and efficient structures. Universities can do much more than simply teaching new skills*

Globalization is still key to end semiconductor crisis

Bottlenecks in semiconductors supply chain are stressing crucial industries for the economic recovery in Western countries, such as tech and automotive. Once leader in production and then dismissed, the EU and US are taking remedial actions to regain the spot, along with major companies: is globalization taking a new shape?

Beyond the imagination: the biorobotic challenge of the plantoids is here

These innovative “robotic plants” are bio-inspired automas that mimic the propagation of roots in the soil. Their creator is an Italian, Barbara Mazzolai, and her vision offers a glimpse of a variety of potential applications in various disciplines

The Vertical Forest: a concrete utopia for the world, from Milan

An archetype of multispecies architecture, Stefano Boeri Architetti’s iconic Bosco Verticale building is the first Vertical Forest, designed from an inclusive perspective focusing on coexistence of humans, flora and fauna as a new paradigm for sustainable urban development

Supersonic and green travel

The plane is called Overture and it is the descendent of the historic Concorde. Debuting in 2030, it promises to connect London and New York in three and a half hours. The ambition is to make the journey available to all and completely emission free.

Drones and new mobility between challenges and legislation

New routes and new rules are fundamental for the development of advanced mobility in Italy. Interview with Pierluigi Di Palma, president of Enac

Cyber security: the key to automated driving

Companies that invest and develop cars with automated driving must solve a significant problem: the cyber security of their IT components.