Energy and climate

Energy and climate crisis

Climate change has been termed the “defining crisis of our time” by the United Nations (UN). Fourteen years ago, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned of an ongoing energy crisis, which has been defined as a “significant bottleneck in the supply of energy resources to an economy” (Tvaronaciene and Slusarczyk, 2019). The interlinkages between the climate crisis and the energy crisis can hardly be denied, even if there may be debate about the precise meaning and scope of both terms.

Track 'Technology for the Energy and Climate Crisis: Where the Twain Shall Meet'

This track of TILTingPerspectives 2021 focuses on how technology may contribute to the resolution of both crises,and how regulatory frameworks can facilitate the deployment of such technologies.

Examples of technologies that are relevant are:

  • Carbon-capture and storage
  • Renewable energy generation technologies
  • Technologies that can be deemed ‘environmentally friendly’ technologies due to their reduced CO2 impact.

Participants'contributions

Simultaneously, the organizers invite participants’ contributions on energy supply security issues that are currently dealt with in the regulation of electricity, gas, as well as other vital sources of energy. 

With the decentralization of energy generation, through emergence of prosumers, it is becoming ever more important to ensure that technological breakdowns do not lead to micro-scale energy supply crisis.

Further, it has been argued that the underlying digitalisation and introduction of smart grids come with significant vulnerability to cyber-attacks. So, the prosumer becomes basically one of the driving forces of the energy transition but also the Achilles heel with regard to energy supply security.

Whereas the organizers welcome all proposals that broadly fit within this theme, the following topics/questions may serve as inspiration:

  • Is there a lack of coherence between energy (security) regulation and policies and regulation aimed at addressing climate change?
  • Are certain regulatory approaches more conducive to facilitating such coherence between climate objectives and energy supply security?
  • (How) can regulation stimulate technological innovation that contributes to the resolution of the climate and energy crises?
  • Global targets and local opposition: how to ensure acceptance of environmentally friendly technologies by local communities?
  • Citizen sensing: a method to uncover or illuminate other crises?
  • What is the role of energy justice in managing /regulating the climate crisis?
  • What is the role of state aid in managing the climate crisis?

Workshop: Climate Justice and the Business of Energy Transition

20 May from 13:30-15:00 and 15:30-17:00 (online)

In conjunction with:
Netherlands Network of Human Rights Research
Constitutionalizing the Anthropocene Project
Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology & Society

Read More

Contact

For questions about possible presentations for this track, please contact: