About

The EU has taken on the major challenge of transitioning to post-carbon society. Some communities and even some states have embarked on this process already. There are still many technological, political, societal, economic, and behavioral obstacles in achieving such a deep transformation. But visioning where we are headed also reveals key opportunities. Where do we want to go? How do we get there? How do we know how we are doing?

The Research for a Post-Carbon Future conference, 17 September 2014 in Berlin, will focus on this European societal transition. It will bring together applied and theoretical perspectives to discuss the state-of-the-art in socio-economic research, following the following themes

  • Setting a course (The macro-level perspective: how post-carbon strategies are developed and how can scientific analysis best contribute)
  • Barriers and Drivers in Society (Insights into structural, social, and cultural dimensions of the transition)
  • Progress in the real world (Monitoring and measuring achievements and the role of science.)

 

The high-level scientific conference will deepen the discussion of these topics with experts from academia and policy, including researchers from Ecologic Institute and its project partners from around Europe, probing the most controversial aspects of the post-carbon transition debate. Discussing these topics in Berlin, the programme also draws on the experience gained with the German Energiewende.

The conference will showcase the work of Ecologic Institute and invited external guests. It will present research from three separate European Commission-funded projects investigating the European energy transformation, "Transition towards Low-Carbon Energy Security" (MILESECURE 2050), Post-Carbon Cities in Europe: A Long-Term Outlook (POCACITO), and Combining Policy Instruments to Achieve Europe's 2050 Climate Targets (CECILIA 2050).