Comment:Visions » Society and Sustainability

Energy at the crossroads

Robert Zlokower — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:51:15 +0000

Meeting the energy demands of our increasingly urbanised society while also cutting greenhouse gas emissions seems like an almost impossible task. It’s a formidable challenge that sees the energy sector at the crossroads. This month on Commentvisions.com we’re discussing the role that society can play in delivering a clean energy future. And we’re looking back, in this programme, at the last year in which we’ve discussed energy and the future with experts across Europe.

Energy in 2050

Robert Zlokower — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 09:24:11 +0000

Since the industrial revolution our planet has grown richer and its inhabitants healthier and longer-lived. The great challenge is how to continue that trend, encourage the same stable growth in the developing world, while also answering the global call to action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our impact on climate change.

Which energy sources will we be using in 2050? How does that compare to the current situation? Which clean energy source is forecast to see the greatest growth by mid-century, and which current energy source is forecast to see a downturn by 2050?

Energy and the city

Editor — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 12:07:38 +0000

Many cities around the world are facing huge challenges when it comes to sustainability. With a rising population and higher energy demands not only problems about waste reduction and water supplies have to be solved, but also transport and energy efficiency in buildings have to be changed in order to make “Megacities” greener and more sustainable.

What would it take to really speed up the transition to a carbon neutral society?

Editor — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:02:57 +0000

We are at a pivotal moment in history. The decisions we make now about how we generate energy will echo down the coming centuries. For one hundred years we have relied upon fossil fuels to build an industrial society unequalled in history. Now we have a new task: to continue supplying power to maintain growth, while at the same time reducing the greenhouse gas emissions which threaten rapid climate change. Many scientists say we have only a few years to accomplish this transition.

Energy: the Next 20 Years Part 2.

Editor — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 09:42:35 +0000

We are in Freiburg, a city of around 220,000 people, a city which committed itself to green energy 20 years ago. What do the city fathers think will be the future of energy in the next 20 years? Freiburg has already reduced its GHG emissions by a substantial amount. Freiburg encourages the use of solar and methane gas which generates base load electricity (which is on all the time). The suburb of Vauban is vehicle free, people willingly have given up their cars for bicycles. How could Freiburg become a model of energy efficiency that every city in the world can learn from.

Energy: the Next 20 Years Part 1.

Editor — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 05:55:22 +0000

The great task of the 20th Century was the creation of industrial might, the 21st Century’s challenge is climate change.

Renewable energy’s contribution to our energy creation must grow, we are told, because we must reduce emissions of
greenhouse gases, or risk a climate catastrophe. And yet, we expect to have electricity available all the time
which renewable energy sources do not provide. What then will we rely on to provide base load power?

The next 20 years are critical in establishing a new energy mix that will provide constant electricity and still reduce emissions.

After Copenhagen, the next steps

Editor — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:14:51 +0000

The issue: The COP15 conference was widely seen as a setback for the EU. The agreement that was reached fell short of the global deal to replace the Kyoto protocol that the EU had sought.

What lessons should the EU draw from Copenhagen? Can the EU still be a driving force in global climate politics? Should the EU continue to push for a global agreement, or should it consider other options, such as bilateral agreements? Should it even take unilateral action, as advocated by some European stakeholders, and increase its emissions reduction target from 20% to 30% without waiting for the US and China to follow? Is a global deal still possible, and when might it be reached?

These are just some of the questions that Comment:Visions invites you to debate with a panel of senior EU decision-makers and stakeholders.

Managing the atmosphere

Editor — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:12:16 +0000

The Earth’s atmosphere is the result of billions of years of geological activity and interaction with living organisms. Until recently, the stability of its composition has been something we have taken for granted.

The climate change conference in Copenhagen ended without a binding global agreement on curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

So, if governments cannot agree on measures to mitigate climate change, who then will provide the incentives and initiatives and perhaps more importantly the finances, that are needed? A growing number of leaders are beginning to look to the private sector to provide solutions. With regard to climate change, is it business to the rescue?

Visions of Future Energy

Editor — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:09:27 +0000

As nations gather to seek an agreement on solving climate change, many are working behind the scenes to create the innovations and protocols that will form the foundation of a new, emission-free society. The fossil fuels that are greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions also provide the majority of the energy that we rely on. Is it possible to create new clean sources of energy and a business environment that will help transform our planet without compromising our way of life?

At the beginning of the year, Euronews began a journey, travelling throughout Europe, seeking out scientists, engineers, researchers and entrepreneurs for their opinions. At the same time, European Voice held regular debates inviting delegates from politics, industry, government and science to take part in finding answers to the burning questions that confront us. Visions of Future Energy is a selection of the opinions expressed in the television programmes.

Risk, the future and climate change

Editor — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:06:32 +0000

The emission of greenhouse gases has been the heart of the matter in environmental discourse throughout its growth and development. For as long as the science has told us that the levels of greenhouse gases in the earth atmosphere are damaging the planet, political attempts to reach agreement on a reduction of emissions have been ongoing.

In this month’s Comment Visions we travel to Norway to talk to a man whose career has involved studying the changing nature of our planet. Dr Pal Prestud is an ecologist and serves as the Director of the Centre for Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo. His work has focused on the Polar Regions, which have acted as an early warning system for the sort of climatic changes greenhouse gases are driving.