ESF Research Conferences

In continuity with the 2008 conference “Global Change Research I”, focused on climate modeling and risks/impacts estimation, the second conference of the series will examine the deep interaction between the environmental crisis (climate change, urbanization/land use, exhaustion of resources, degradation of ecosystems) and the energy production and use.

If the relationship between the use of carbon-based energy and global warming is now well recognized, other more general aspects of environmental degradation related to energy production, in particular impacts on the biosphere and health will be also addressed. Then a panorama of research efforts and technological implementations in the field of efficiency and environmental performance will be given, for today’s energies, emerging technologies and longer term opportunities. As the implementation of good practices and the diffusion of new technologies worldwide respectful for the environment depends strongly on global regulation policies, international agreements and global/local governance, emphasis will be laid on the environmental aspects of international trading related to the use of energy, the issue of technology transfers between the North and the emerging economies, the choice of adapted technologies in the less developed countries, and the effective role of international institutions in the definition of sustainable development.