3rd International Symposium on Energy Challenges and Mechanics (ECM3)
The 3rd International Symposium on Energy Challenges and Mechanics (ECM3) will be held in Aberdeen, Scotland, from 7 to 9 July 2015. Session 12 entitled "FUTURE EUROPE" will be chaired by Coordinator Prof. Lombardi and devoted to the MILESECURE-2050 project. http://nscj.co.uk/ecm3/sessions/session12.html
The ECM3 Symposium is about energy challenges, the underlying energetic basis (mechanics) for society, involving multiple disciplines in technology, science, management and policy-making. The topics include both fossil fuels and many different forms of renewable energy. In addition, the Conference will be a chance to discuss issues related to energy efficiency, safety, environment and ecology.
Energy has been at the heart of the European Union (EU) since its inception (European Coal and Steel Community 1951, European Atomic Energy Community, 1957). Over the past few years, Europe's energy system has become incrementally more low-carbon, competitive and secure. In particular, the EU energy policy has developed around the three complementary pillars of security of supply, sustainability and competitiveness (COM(2006) 105 final). These components have also been re-confirmed in the EU's 2020 to 2030 transition framework for climate and energy policies (COM(2014) 15 final). However, while the EU has been successful in institutionalising a climate policy, it has not yet been able to formulate a successful energy security policy. The risk is that if not properly designed, policies aimed at the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions may affect the resilience of energy systems and their capacity to tolerate disturbance and to deliver stable and affordable energy services to consumers. At present, only a few scenarios among those produced by key modelling exercises address the potential synergies between climate change and energy security. The gloomy understanding that still characterises the intersections of energy security and low carbon society requires further exploration.
To better understand the current situation, the FUTURE EUROPE session aims at:
- Exploring low carbon transition theories and strategies in connection with energy security concept, considering environmental objectives alongside geopolitical and economic interests.
- Reviewing and expanding current approaches used to understand and explain possible modes for societal energy transition, taking multiple interrelated and co-evolving perspectives (environmental, geopolitical, lifestyle and cultural, political, technological, economic and combined).
- Discussing problems concerning energy in a global scenario, proposing quantitative assessments of energy security scenarios for Europe and evaluations of geopolitical tensions between different areas in the world.
- Presenting case studies on energy transition, future scenarios and potential regional and macro-regional conflicts.