Strategic deployment of hydrogen and CCS: Ortelius’ view on Flanders’ energy intensive industrial transition
A recent VUB study confirms the difficult position of Flanders’ strong energy-intensive industry. This industry is the backbone of our economy, creating jobs, exports, added value and enables economic ecosystems. But it is now under intense competitive pressure while also being required to decarbonize. Hydrogen and CCS emerge as central themes. Ortelius’ “Industrievisie” builds on […]
Hot cities, cool fixes: how to beat the urban heat trap
Now that the summer is coming to a close and Belgian rainy days are making a comeback, it’s worth looking back at how cities around the world endured yet another season of extreme heat. In June 2025, parts of the Balkans already saw temperatures soar to 40°C. Across the Atlantic, a persistent heat dome kept […]
Europe’s Lithium Paradox: Five lessons from the front row
At Ortelius, we recently had the pleasure of joining the panel at the avant-premiere of Peter Tom Jones’s new documentary Europe’s Lithium Paradox. It’s a compelling exploration of a strange contradiction: Europe has the lithium it needs for its clean energy transition, and yet, we’re still stuck on foreign dependencies. Why? One answer stood out loud […]
Our new ortelius report is out: Battery Metals for the EU
Read the 10 key messages below — and download the full report for free We’ve just launched our latest Ortelius study: Critical Raw Materials for Battery Technologies in the EU. The report explores Europe’s growing exposure in sourcing the metals that power the energy transition — and what that means for our climate goals, industrial competitiveness, […]
The EU’s critical raw material dilemma: Our new report drops next week
Europe has a materials problem. And it’s getting bigger. As the green transition accelerates and clean tech ramps up, the EU’s demand for critical raw materials is set to skyrocket. Think, for example, of nickel, cobalt and manganese — the lifeblood of batteries, but also the future of mobility, energy, defense, and industrial competitiveness. Yet […]
Back to Black? Coal’s Comeback Faces a Cheaper Reality
This week, president Donald Trump signed a new wave of executive orders aimed at revitalizing the coal industry. The measures include opening up federal lands for coal mining, repealing regulations seen as unfavorable to coal, and even exploring ways to use coal power for AI data centers. The message is clear: “beautiful, clean coal” (his […]
Burn and churn or mine and refine? Why the clean transition means less extraction
A common misconception is that the climate transition will drastically increase mining. While clean technologies do require critical raw materials, the comparison should not be with an imagined world without mining but with our current system: one that continuously extracts and burns enormous amounts of fossil fuels.Today, billions of tons of oil, gas, and coal […]
Air conditioning could boost Belgium’s electricity demand by as much as 6.2%
As the Belgian summer nears its end, it’s tempting to think of cooler months ahead and forget the challenges that come with rising temperatures. However, despite the coolness of recent summers, data from the Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) clearly indicates a trend of increasing warm and tropical days in Belgium. This raises an important question: […]
Eat Local or Eat Smart? The Climate Dilemma on Your Plate
Food production accounts for 26%[1] of global greenhouse gas emissions, profoundly impacting our climate. Alarmingly, if current food consumption patterns persist, we could see nearly 1°C of additional global warming by 2100[2]. This environmental impact is predominantly driven by meat production. For instance, 1 kilogram (or about four pieces) of steak has a climate footprint of up to […]
Marine Geoengineering: Potential and Challenges in Combating Climate Change
Climate change is a pressing issue that needs no further introduction. It is now evident that achieving the 1.5°C target set by the Paris Agreement will require not only significant reductions in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions but also active removal of carbon from the atmosphere. Because they absorb about 20% of global CO2 emissions annually, […]