Some issues on the horizon of current green policy

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14422/pen.v81.i317.y2025.003

Keywords:

Climate change, Demographic winter, Antimicrobial resistance, Micro and nano-plastics, Raw materials, Recycling, Unilateral measures, Research

Abstract

The European Union has made combating climate change a top priority. While rising temperatures is a serious and urgent issue, the rush to make decisions may have, in some instances, resulted in immature or flawed solutions. This article highlights that several of these measures have unintended and potentially dangerous side effects.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Baumberger, Ch., Knutti, R. y Hirsch Hadorn, G. (2017). «Building confidence in climate model projections: an analysis of inferences from fit». WIREs Clim Change 2017, 8, e454. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.454

Bhattacharjee, N. V. et al. (2021). «Global fertility in 204 countries and territories, 1952021, with forecasts to 2100: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021» Lancet 2024, 403, 2057-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00550-6

Beena Unni, A. y Muringayil Joseph, T. (2024). «Enhancing Polymer Sustainability: Eco- Conscious Strategies». Polymers 2024, 16, 1769. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16131769

Ben-Yami, M. et al. (2024). Uncertainties too large to predict tipping times of major Earth system components from historical data Sci. Adv. 2024, 10, eadl4841 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adl48

Berger, S. y Connors Sarah L. (2025). Frequent Asked Questions https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/faqs/IPCC_AR6_WGI_FAQ_Chapter_04.pdf (visto el 25/04/2025).

Brousse, O. et al. (2024). «Cool Roofs Could Be Most Effective at Reducing Outdoor Urban Temperatures in London (United Kingdom) Compared With Other Roof Top and Vegetation Interventions: A Mesoscale Urban Climate Modeling Study» Geophysical Research Letters 2024, 51, e2024GL109634. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109634

Broza, Yoav Y. et al. (2019). «Disease Detection with Molecular Biomarkers: From Chemistry of Body Fluids to Nature-Inspired Chemical Sensors». Chem. Rev. 2019, 119, 11761−11817. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00437

Brüssow, H. (2024). «The antibiotic resistance crisis and the development of new antibiotics». Microbial Biotechnology, 2024 17, e14510. https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.14510

Cho, R. (2023). «What Uncertainties Remain in Climate Science?». https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2023/01/12/what-uncertainties-remain-in-climate-science/ (visto el 24/04/2025).

Consejo Seguridad Nacional. https://www.csn.es/monografias (visto el 25/04/2025).

Christodoulou, N., Laaidi, K. y Geoffroy, P. A. (2024). Eco-anxiety: Towards a medical model and the new framework of ecolalgia Bipolar Disorders. 2024, 26, 532-547. https://doi.org/10.1111/bdi.13446

Dong, H. et al. (2025). «Sub-technology market share strongly affects critical material constraints in power system transitions». Nature Commun 2025, 16, 1285. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56592-5

Deysher, G. et al. (2024). “Design principles for enabling an anode-free sodium all-solid-state battery». Nat Energy 2024, 9, 1161-1172. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-024- 01569-9

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/antimicrobial-resistance/facts/factsheets/general-public (visto el 25/04/2025).

Frequently Asked Questions. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/faqs/IPCC_%20AR6_WGI_FAQs_Compiled.pdf (visto el 25/04/2025).

Geyer et al. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/plastic-fate-to-2050 (Visto el 25/04/2025)

Gramling C. «Rare earth mining may be key to our renewable energy future. But at what cost?». https://www.sciencenews.org/article/rare-earth-mining-renewable-energy-future (visto el 25/04/2025).

Ho, Ch. S. et al. (2024). Antimicrobial resistance: a concise update Lancet Microbe2025, 6, 100947. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanmic.2024.07.010

Huang, H. et al. (2025). «Microplastics in the bloodstream can induce cerebral thrombosis by causing cell obstruction and lead to neurobehavioral abnormalities». Sci. Adv. 2025 11, eadr8243 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adr82

Hurdle, J. «As Millions of Solar Panels Age Out, Recyclers Hope to Cash In» https://e360.yale.edu/features/solar-energy-panels-recycling (visto el 25/04/2025).

International Atomic Energy Agency (2020). https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/finlands-spent-fuel-repository-a-game-changer-for-the-nuclear-industry-director-general-grossi-says (visto el 25/04/2025).

Kozlov, M. (1) «How are microplastics affecting our health?». https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00405-8.pdf (visto el 25/04/2025).

Kozlov M. (2) «Landmark study links microplastics to serious health problems». https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00650-3 (visto el 25/04/2025).

Kozlov, M. (3) «Your brain is full of microplastics: are they harming you?». https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00405-8 02 2025 (visto el 25/04/2025).

Kumara, H. et al. (2022). «Responses of birds and mammals to long established wind farms in India». Scientific Reports 2022, 12, 1339. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-05159-1

Landivar Macias, A., Jacobsen, S. D. y Rotta Loria, A. F. (2024). «Electrodeposition of calcareous cement from seawater in marine silica sands». Communications Earth & Environment 2024, 5, 442. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01604-3

Léger-Goodes, T. et al. (2022). «Eco-anxiety in children: A scoping review of the mental health impacts of the awareness of climate change». Front. Psychol. 2022, 13, 872544. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.872544

Lenton, T. M. et al. (2019). «Climate tipping points – too risky to bet against». Nature 2019, 575, 592-595. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03595-0

Long, J. et al. (2024). «Large-scale photovoltaic solar farms in the Sahara affect solar power generation potential globally». Commun Earth Environ 2024, 5, 11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01117-

Lopes, Mª C. (2025). Climate change and its impact on children and adolescents sleep Jornal de Pediatria 2025, 101, S40 _S47 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2024.10.009

Lund, K. W. y Madsen, E. S. (2024). «Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews». Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2024, 192, 114234 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.114234

Lundberg, D. J. et al. (2024). «Concerted methane fixation at ambient temperature and pressure mediated by an alcohol oxidase and Fe-ZSM-5 catalytic». Nature Catalysis 2024, 7, 1359-1371 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-024-01251-z

Madgavkar, A. et al. (2024). «Dependency and depopulation? Confronting the consequences of a new demographic reality». McKinsey & Company. 2024. https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/dependency-and-depopulation-confronting-the-consequences-of-a-new-demographic-reality (visto el 25/04/2025).

Muzyka, R. et al. (2023). «Recycling of both resin and fibre from wind turbine blade waste via small molecule assisted dissolution». Scientific Reports 2023, 13, 9270. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36183-4

Naghavi, M. et al. (2024). «Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990- 2021: a systematic analysis with forecasts to 2050». The lancet 2024, 404, 1199-1226. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01867-1

Nature, Editorial (2021). «Lithium-ion batteries need to be greener and ethical». Nature 2021, 595, 7. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01735-z

Nature Materials, Editorial (2022). «Batteries show the difficulties of being greener». Nature Materials 2022, 21, 131 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-022-01198-1

Neukom, R., Steiger, N., Gómez-Navarro, J. J., Wang, J.y Werner, J. P. (2019). «No evidence for globally coherent warm and cold periods over the preindustrial Common Era». Nature 2019, 71, 550-554. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1401-2

NOAA. https://oceanservice-noaa-gov.translate.goog/facts/amoc.html?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=es&_x_tr_hl=es&_x_tr_pto=sge#:~:text=The%20AMOC%20is%20a%20system,surface%20water%20throughout%20the%20world (visto el 25/04/2025).

Our world in Data. «Annual methane emissions including land use». https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/methane-emissions?tab=chart&country=OWID_WRL~European+Union+%2828%29~IND~USA~CHN (visto el 25/04/2025).

Pearson, H. (2024). «The rise of eco-anxiety». Nature 2024, 628, 258. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00998-6

Peplow, M. (2022). «Solar Panels Face Recycling Challenge». ACS Cent. Sci. 2022, 8, 299−302. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.2c00214

Peti, D., Dobránsky, J. y Michalík, P. (2025). «Recent Advances in Polymer Recycling: A Review of Chemical and Biological Processes for Sustainable Solutions». Polymers 2025, 17, 603. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17050603

Qin, Y. et al. (2022). Impacts of 319 wind farms on surface temperature and vegetation in the United States. Environ. Res. Lett. 2022, 17, 024026 https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.17058272

Reinert, M. «How science is helping farmers to find a balance between agriculture and solar farms». https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00518-6 (visto el 25/04/2025).

Ripple, W. J. et al. (2024). The 2024 state of the climate report: Perilous times on planet Earth BioScience, 2024, 74, 812-824. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae087 .

Ritchie, H., Rosado, P. y Roser, M. ”Annual CO2 emissions by country” https:// ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-metrics (visto el 25/04/2025).

Robinson, P. «Hot Or Not: Steven Koonin Questions Conventional Climate Science And Methodology». https://www.hoover.org/research/hot-or-not-steven-koonin-questions-conventional-climate-science-and-methodology (visto el 25/04/2025).

Rocha, C. (2025). «Maersk cambia Algeciras por Tanger Med y enciende la alarma en el mayor puerto de España». El Cofidencial 13/01/2025 https://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/andalucia/2025-01-13/maersk-cambia-algeciras-tanger-med-alarma-puerto-espana_4042038/ (visto el 25/04/2025).

Sánchez de la Cruz, D. (2025). Sección Libre mercado del diario Libertad digital, 15/1/2025 https://www.libremercado.com/2025-01-15/jp-morgan-goldman-sachs-morgan-stanley-citi-y-bank-of-america-abandonan-la-alianza-climatica-de-la-onu-7206646/ (visto el 25/04/2025).

Santora, T. (2030). «Population tipping point could arrive by 2030». https://www.science.org/content/article/population-tipping-point-could-arrive-2030#:~:text=Low%2Dincome%20countries%20in%20sub,level%20as%20soon%20as%202030 (visto el 25/04/2025).

Simpson, I. R. et al. (2025). «Confronting Earth System Model trends with observations». Sci. Adv. 2025, 11, eadt8035. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adt803 .

Smith, O. et al. (2022). «The effect of renewable energy incorporation on power grid stability and resilience». Sci. Adv. 2022, 8, eabj6734. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abj6734

Stechemesser, A. et al. (2024). «Climate policies that achieved major emission reductions: Global evidence from two decades». Science 2024, 385, 884-892. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adl6547 .

The future of European competitiveness Part B. In-depth analysis and recommendations. 2024. https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/ec1409c1-d4b4-4882-8bdd-3519f86bbb92_en?filename=The%20future%20of%20European%20competitiveness_%20In-depth%20analysis%20and%20recommendations_0.pdf (visto el 25/04/2025).

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). https://www.ipcc.ch/ (visto el 25/04/2025).

The Lancet Healthy Longevity. Editorial (2022). «Ageing populations: unaffordable demography». The Lancet Health Longevity. 2022, 3, e804 https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanhl/PIIS2666-7568(22)00272-0.pdf (visto el 25/04/2025).

The Royal Society https://royalsociety.org/news-resources/projects/climate-change-evidence-causes/question-8 (visto el 25/04/2025).

Thomson Reuters Foundation. https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N2AV1FF/#:~:text=March%203%20(Thomson%20Reuters%20Foundation,action%20to%20curb%20global%20warming (visto el 24/04/2025).

Ting, D. S. K. y Stagner, J. A. Ed. (2024). «The Costs of Climate Change Mitigation Innovations A Pragmatic Outlook». CRC Press. Boca Raton, FL (USA) 2024. ISBN 9781032516813 Preface.

UN Climate Change Conferences. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/un-climate-conferences (visto el 25/04/2025).

Viaña, D. (2024). Diario el Mundo, 09/09/2024. https://www.elmundo.es/economia/macroeconomia/2024/09/09/66deb99ae4d4d8404f8b457d.html (visto el 25/04/2025).

Wang, Y. y Weng, G.-M. (2025). «Nuclear batteries: Potential, challenges and the future». The Innovation Energy 2025, 2, 100079. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-energy.2025.100079

World Health Organization (2024). «Towards a nuanced view and response to global fertility trends». The Lancet 2024, 403, 1953-1956. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00550-6

Xie, Z. et al. (2024).«CO2 fixation into carbon nanofibres using electrochemical– thermochemical tandem catalysis». Nature Catalysis 2024, 7, 98-109 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-023-01085-1

Yang, T., Luo, D., Yu, A. y Chen, Z. (2023). «Enabling Future Closed-Loop Recycling of Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries: Direct Cathode Regeneration». Adv. Mater. 2023, 22, 03218. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202203218

Yu, Z. et al. (2024). «Drinking Boiled Tap Water Reduces Human Intake of Nanoplastics and Microplastics». Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. 2024, 11, 273−279. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00081

Zhang, L. et al. (2025). «Degradable poly(β-amino ester) microparticles for cleansing products and food fortification». Nature Chemical Engineering, 2025, 2, 77-89. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44286-024-00151-0

Zuhra, Z. et al. (2025). «Metal-organic framework applications for microplastic remediation: exploring pathways and future potential». J. Mater. Chem. A, 2025,13, 9619-9642. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ta07876d

Downloads

Published

2026-02-11

How to Cite

Some issues on the horizon of current green policy. (2026). Pensamiento. Revista De Investigación E Información Filosófica, 81(317), 1207-1221. https://doi.org/10.14422/pen.v81.i317.y2025.003