Business of Sustainability

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.

Discussion: What role does society have in delivering a sustainable energy future?

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Live debate: De-carbonised transport: with or without biofuels?

Live Debate -- Not in my backyard? Can Europe win public acceptance for low-carbon infrastructure projects?

Discussion: Climate change threatens to overwhelm society this century, so how can we prepare?

Sometimes it's best to start with the end, and in the case of the European Future Energy Forum in Geneva, the end of the day began with some Alpine greatest hits and a large dollop of melted cheese.Read more

Our buzzword this month is 'innovation', and we already have a great discussion underway on how the spirit of human ingenuity can be applied to clean energy. But I'd like to add another buzzword to that list, a new word, a kinda cool-sounding word, and that's smartness.Read more

This month's programme on the challenges and opportunities of biofuels production was a great opportunity to go to the front line of this fast moving sector, writes Comment Visions producer Jeremy Wilks.Read more

The 2010 European Business Summit was 30 June - 1 July and included the Presidents' Debate, a high-level energy panel, and a gala dinner.Read more

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.

Discussion: After COP 15, who or what will drive the push towards developing clean energy?

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Live Debate - After Copenhagen: the next steps

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?

Discussion: Are commercial partnerships between science and industry the best way to reduce GHG emissions?

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Live Debate - After Copenhagen: the next steps

Live Debate - Can Europe de-carbonise transport?

Discussion: As the first decade of the 21st Century closes, can we be pleased with the progress we have made in the development of energy efficiency and the mitigation of climate change?

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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.

Discussion: How must society adapt to rapid climate change to minimise severe upheaval?

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Discussion: What can we do to ensure that generations to come have a sustainable future?

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