Energy 2050
An international symposium for scientists, industrialists, teachers, media people, policy- and decision-makers arranged by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, to take place in Stockholm, Sweden on 19-20 October in association with the Swedish EU presidency in autumn 2009
Current scenarios of future climate change indicate enormous social and economic consequences for global societies. To mitigate the effects of fossil fuel use we can no longer postpone action.
The overall aim of the Energy 2050 symposium is to explore possibilities to reduce the contribution of fossil fuels to the global energy system. The year 2050 seems to constitute a realistic target for major changes in global energy supply and use.
Today the major potential for changes in energy supply up to 2050 are to be found in the already established technologies such as hydropower, nuclear-, wind- and bioenergy. Yet, there are drawbacks to be taken into account with all of these technologies. An emerging renewable source with great potential is solar energy.
In parallel to a shift to non-fossil energy supply, a radically more efficient use of energy needs to be achieved. Increased use of electricity, not least in the transport sector, and more effective heating and cooling of buildings are key elements in this process. In addition, efficiency in the use of energy in industrial processes is essential.
During the symposium internationally renowned scientists - among them Nobel Laureates - will assess the climate-energy issue in a broad perspective, with particular focus on how rapidly a change to a "fossil-free" society can be accomplished. The main results and conclusions of the Academy's Energy Committee, which has worked since 2005 on supply and use of energy in a global 40-year perspective, will also be presented.
The symposium will conclude with a synthesis of recent scientific results, in the form of a message to the UN Climate Change Conference, Copenhagen in December 2009.