Geneva, 23-27 January 2006
CLIMATE CHANGES : ENERGY AND MOBILITY
"I do not have to guess at my future but to decide on it”. – Denis de Rougemont
FEDRE - European Foundation for the Development of the Regions on the ManagEnergy During its annual European forums, FEDRE provides information and examples that may help the choices of regional and local authorities who are conscious of the responsibilities and new powers that decentralisation and urbanisation entail for them. To this end, FEDRE brings together political authorities, local, national and international decision makers and scientists who are competent in relevant areas.
The theme of the January 2006 European forum will be "Climatic Changes: Energy and Mobility". FEDRE realises that warming is the result of both natural evolution and human activities. FEDRE is indeed convinced that slowing it down and reducing its negative impacts is everyone's concern - from the political and industrial worlds to the common citizen - and that it requires regional and local, but also worldwide and national action.
On Monday, the first day, under the patronage of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a debate will be held on global warming, its causes and consequences. On this occasion, FEDRE will launch "Plančte Climat" in partnership with the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie de Paris. "Plančte Climat" is an international programme which aims to raise everyone's awareness, citizens (with a special focus on young people), local authorities and enterprises, to the causes and consequences of climate warming and to the steps everyone should take to correct it. "Plančte Climat" offers an itinerant synthesis of the exhibition Climax that was presented by the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie.
The rest of the week will be dedicated to energy, whose consumption is the main source of carbon dioxide emissions, in turn the main cause of global warming. The production of electrical power and mobility were singled out because they induce primary energy consumption which increases most quickly. The exhaustion of oil and gas reserves offers a new vision of those two issues. At the same time, the analysis of the needs that create such growth will lead to an evaluation of the possibilities for energy savings.
Electricity production will be dealt with on Tuesday and Wednesday. The challenge is the share of each energy source in the electricity production (coal, gas, hydraulic, nuclear, oil and renewable energies). These will be considered on the side of supply security, costs, environmental and health impacts.
On Thursday, the debate on mobility will provide the opportunity to measure the improvements made since FEDRE's 2004 Forum devoted to energies and technologies in public and private transportation (see on the website - www.fedre.org - our 2004 publication and final declaration).
The Forum will end on Friday, with a morning session dedicated to energetic efficiency and energy savings. Producers of energy, industrial entrepreneurs, scientists, everyone agrees that energy savings are a necessity. The efforts that followed the first oil crisis, however, have lost their momentum. How can they be revived ?
Finally, the Forum could conclude with the statement that all energies are necessary. However, how technological progress and consumption control can reduce downsides will be considered. The future of climate: a technological and social challenge!