Climate Change and the transition to a zero-emisson society. - A series of seminars presented by Andrea Tilche

Climate change is probably the most complex planetary challenge that humanity has to face. Despite of the large number of authoritative scientific reports that show its acceleration, its growing risks, and the progressive reduction of the window of opportunity to act towards cost-effective and equitable solutions, very little steps forward have been done by the international community.

Free breakfast and coffee will be served at 0845 - we look forward to seeing you!

This series of seminars wants to open a broad discussion on this subject, through an approach that looks at the physical, ideal, political, economic and social roots of the problem, in order to frame a proposal for the transition to a sustainable zero-carbon society in which the Universities – as sites of new cultural development – and the young generations – as essential actors of change – have to play an essential role.

All students and employees are welcome. The seminars have a red thread, but may be attended as single seminars.

UiT-breakfast is organized by students at the Department of social sciences and discusses pressing political questions in a scientific framework. This seminar is organized in part by ARC - Arctic centre for Sustainable Energy

Seminar 1: Climate Change today

Scientific assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and new evidence from recent literature show that the window of opportunity for staying within the Paris Agreement range of average global warming is still there but may rapidly be passed if no urgent action is taken globally. On the other hand, as also shown by the modest results of the last COP in Katowice, the pace of action does not match with the dimension of the risks.

Some of the reasons of this lack of ambition will be analysed, and some proposals how to increase the pace of action will be discussed, including a new role for Universities of becoming centres of development of the culture of the transition

About Andrea Tilche

Andrea Tilche obtained his Doctor Degree in Agricultural Sciences at the University of Milano in 1978. His scientific career was mainly carried out in Italy where he set-up and directed the wastewater treatment laboratories of ENEA in Bologna. In 1998 he moved to the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission as Head of the Water Research Unit, and later to Brussels where he held various positions of responsibility in the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. From 2010 to November 2018, when he retired from the European Commission, he was in charge of the EU climate change research programme and headed the EU delegation at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Since November 2018, he is Senior Advisor and adjunct professor at UiT.

 

 

When: 06.03.19 at 09.00–10.30
Where: B-1005, HSL
Location / Campus: Tromsø
Target group: Employees, Students
Contact: Kathrine Tveiterås
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