Energy Sustainability and Climate Change

25-27 February 2013

Date for 2013/14 will be announced soon on this website

This seminar gives an overview of the global fossil fuel markets and climate change and evaluates potentials of a sustainable energy system. It also deals with the economic consequences of energy markets and policies as well as sustainable development. A bit of background: today’s society faces as no generation before two main energy related threats: first, to guarantee secure and affordable energy supply and second, to reduce and abolish environmental and climate harms caused by energy consumption. Over 80 percent of today’s primary energy consumption comes from non-renewable fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas. If we do not change this development, future share of fossil fuel resources will remain as high as today. As the major oil and gas reserves are located in few areas of the world, importing countries would become more vulnerable to supply disruptions and energy price shocks. Furthermore, fossil fuel consumption causes CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions and thereby climate change.

Secure, reliable and affordable energy resources are fundamental to sustained economic development. The threat of disruptive climate change, the erosion of energy security, and the world’s growing demand for energy all pose major challenges for energy decision makers. To meet these challenges and transform our energy system, a better use of existing technologies will be required along with significant scientific innovation to spur the adoption of new energy technologies. Therefore, urgent action is needed to rapidly advance available energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies and practices.

You can also choose this course as part of the Certificate in Intersectoral Management.

Convenor