Morning 11: The Future of Energy: The Many Who’s and How’s (Part of Alpbach Learning Missions)

We are faced with a growing population that demands and requires more products, greater mobility and therefore more energy. At the same time, we are confronted with a climate crisis, the main cause of which is the usage of fossil fuels and the associated CO2 emissions, predominately produced by industry, transportation and private households. A shift away from fossil fuels is the way forward, but not an easy transition. At first glance, new technologies, such as e-mobility, seem to be the solution. However, e-mobility requires enormous amounts of energy, which need to be entirely CO2 neutral. If not, innovative technologies might run the risk of offsetting initial efforts to reduce our carbon footprint.
No matter what, energy takes centre stage in any attempt to move towards a more responsible, climate friendly economy. Only if we transform the energy generation to energy consumption system into a sustainable, carbon-free model that focuses on efficiency we will be able to shape a sustainable energy future. This seminar will explore the many players in and approaches to energy transformation and will address the following questions: What opportunities and challenges arise when changing to low/no CO2 energy generation and usage? What role will investors play and will they direct money towards the ‘right kind’ of initiatives? In the end, who decides what direction we move towards – market forces, the people, politicians? How will civil society get involved in times of Friday for Future?
This seminar will continue as an Alpbach Learning Mission to take a deep-dive into concrete and pressing questions surrounding energy generation and consumption.