9 to 11 October 2006

Fifth Engelberg Dialogue on Science:
Rethinking our Energy Future: Smart, Sustainable and Secure

As part of Swiss Energy Week – a science week of Academia Engelberg and the ETH Zurich – Academia Engelberg is organizing the Fifth Dialogue on Science to take place in Engelberg from Monday, 9 October to Wednesday, 11 October 2006.

In addition to a state-of-the-art review by internationally well-known personalities from the energy sector, there will be critical appraisal and discussion on the future of global energy supplies with a group of young scientists from ETHsustainability and Youth Encounter on Sustainability (YES). The conference will also include around 130 people from Europe and overseas representing the views of science, industry, politics and society. The conference language is English.

Your contribution is important

After the scenarios of the Club of Rome in the seventies, energy in all its usable forms is back in the focus of interest. The recent increases in the price of oil no longer seem to be simply a consequence of geopolitical insecurity, but also reflect the growing scarcity of this resource. In contrast to earlier debates on the issue, the effects of CO2 emissions and their effects on the global climate are also a feature of the discussion today.

This throws up a number of questions that have to be faced not only by the present genera-tion but also by future generations. Can we actually afford to continue using energy in the same way as before? How long will the identified and assumed reserves of non-renewable forms of energy last? How can the growing demand be covered? Can we only count on re-newable energy in the longer term? If so, what role will the various forms of energy play and what will the transition phase look like? What function will nuclear energy play? Can we expect to see an additional supply of usable forms of energy being developed from present research activities?

The subject of energy concerns us all, and for this reason our interest focuses on one question in particular: How and what can I contribute towards solving the energy question? In a smart way through innovative ideas, in a sustainable way for future generations, in a safe way for everyone.