PhD colloquium, Feb 24th 2021: Tackling the transition with a Green (New) Deal? The impact of energy and climate research in times of large-scale policy measures.

In the PhD Colloquium the participants demonstrate how their PhD project relates to contemporary pressing energy policy such as the Green New Deal (GND) or the European Green Deal (EGD), particularly pertaining to the social and societal impact of their research. To this end, they can focus on economic implications, technical and/or socio-cultural questions related to energy generation and sustainability, political implications and legal implications for energy democracy/energy justice.

For further information about the PhD Colloquium participants and their abstracts click here and for the detailed program schedule click here or scroll down.

The call for participation has ended.

The Leibniz Research Alliance on Energy Transitions regularly hosts doctoral colloquiums on specific topics relevant to energy transitions with one or more of its member institutes. The colloquium provides an opportunity for doctoral researchers to present their research questions, goals, designs and methods (and possibly also results), and discuss them with an interdisciplinary audience at an early point in their career. The colloquium is open for up to 15 participants from any academic discipline whose dissertation project relates to energy and climate policies and how it informs clean energy futures. We encourage applications from doctoral candidates at any stage of their PhD and from inter-/transdisciplinary research settings.

On February 7th, 2019 the newly elected Representative to the US Congress Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Edward Markey issued the Green New Deal Resolution, a massive package of policy proposals calling for a ten-year national mobilization to achieve net-zero GHG emissions, meet 100% of power demands through renewable energy, eliminate emissions from the transportation and the agriculture sector, upgrade infrastructure to be energy efficient and provide universal access to clean air and water (amongst other goals). In December, 2019 the European Commission launched a similar policy package, the European Green Deal to become “the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050”.

Echoing the objectives of the GND, it covers the policy areas of clean energy, sustainable industry, building and renovating, sustainable mobility, biodiversity and reducing GHG emissions as well as overall pollution. Thought of as an ambitious strategy and set of measures with the purpose to “enable European citizens and businesses to benefit from sustainable green transition”, it will have a substantial impact on local communities, urban infrastructures and society as a whole.