Event reports
The world today lives an environmental challenge to lower greenhouse gases emissions in a context of population growth requiring higher energy consumption. This is an essential stage for the survival of the planet. The year 2015 is key to take decisions and change habits for a low carbon future in the world.
On November 5, in Rio de Janeiro, the Regional Programme Energy Security and Climate Change in Latin America of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (EKLA-KAS) was responsible for the organization of a panel discussion on "Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency" in the context of the Climate Week. "Climate Change, We Are All Responsible" was the motto of this event, organized by the EU Delegation in Brazil, WWF-Brazil and Planetarium Foundation in Rio de Janeiro.
Professor Adriano Pires, Founding Partner and Director of the Brazilian Center for Infrastructure (CBIE), Professor Augusto Bianchini, University of Bologna, Italy, André Nahur, Program Coordinator for Climate Change and Energy WWF-Brazil, Julia Badeda, Researcher of University of Aachen, scholar and member of the KAS Energy Network, Professor Paulo Artaxo, FAPESP Program Coordinator for Research on Global Climate Change (PFPMCG) and Sandro Yamamoto, Director of the Brazilian Wind Energy Association (ABEEólica) were the guest speakers composing this debate, which was broadcast live on the internet.
Karina Marzano, Project Manager EKLA-KAS opened the panel presenting the Brazilian and European panorama of renewable energy, with current data of the share of these sources in the energy matrix of Brazil and the European Union as well as the targets for the coming years.
The experts presented their current research in several areas, such as biomass, bioenergy and sustainability, wind power and energy storage. Bernardo Esteves, Environmental Journalist at Piauí Magazine was in charge of the moderation.
Some key findings of the panel refers to the difficulty to respect the 2 degrees limit for the rise in global temperature, even if all Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) are implemented. There are technological advances that allow the implementation of a low-carbon economy, but this depends on political will and effective regulatory frameworks, in addition, of course, to citizen awareness.
On the eve of COP Paris, one arrives at a consensus that we can not just discuss problems, but we need to present solutions. A new energy paradigm becomes therefore essential. The various renewable energy sources should contribute to the decentralization of generation and universal access, strengthening democracy itself.
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