BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Memento EPFL//
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:EESS talk on "The energy transition – an integrative analysis"
DTSTART:20160419T121500
DTEND:20160419T131500
DTSTAMP:20260928T200417Z
UID:ca459be3c9f85065fb7acaa7258eba194872a8ec220c31268026eb2f
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Dr Claudia Binder\, HERUS (Laboratory on Human-Environment Rel
 ations in Urban Systems)\nAbstract:\nThe ongoing energy transition is seen
  as a key component for the transition towards a more sustainable society.
  An important component in the move towards a sustainable energy system is
  the transition from a mainly centralized\, fossil-fuel system to a more l
 ocalized\, renewable one. This transition\, however\, requires not only th
 e development of new energy technologies but also radical\, systemic shift
 s in deeply held values and beliefs\, in patterns of social behavior\, and
  in governance regimes. Thereby the ecological\, technical and social syst
 ems have to be conceptualized as Social-Ecological-Technical Systems (SETS
 ) and new integrative\, interdisciplinary research approaches are needed w
 hich consider the interaction between these subsystems. We present results
  of an integrative analysis of transitions which occurred in two Austrian 
 energy regions during the last 20 years.  We show (i) how institutional d
 evelopment and infrastructure development are related to each other within
  time\; (ii) whether and how demand and supply of renewable energy carries
  can be met at the regional level\; and (iii) which factors in household b
 ehavior affect decision making- and consequently energy demand in the hous
 ing sector. Finally\, we present some thoughts on the resilience of such t
 ransition processes and discuss the need for further research.\nSocio-ecol
 ogical transitions are defined as transitions between different societal r
 egimes and co-dependent ecological changes. In the past\, two major transi
 tions have occurred as are the transition from the hunter and gatherers so
 ciety to the agricultural society and from the latter to the industrial so
 ciety. These transitions have both been characterized by an increased mate
 rial and energy consumption per capita and an increase in urban population
 . Scholars have stated that we are in the middle of a new transition maybe
  towards a sustainable society. This transition is likely to encompass a f
 urther increase in the share of the population living in urban areas\, how
 ever linked to significant efforts to change the metabolism of cities by e
 .g.\, transforming the energy system away from a fossil fuel based towards
  a renewable energy system. The experiences of various scholars have led t
 o the insight that this transition cannot be analyzed with disciplinary ap
 proaches alone. They have to be dealt with in an integrative\, interdiscip
 linary way that considers the dynamics and interactions between social and
  ecological systems. This presentation will show how inter- and transdisci
 plinary research could be framed to better understand\, simulate\, and pro
 vide policy recommendations for the ongoing transition. These approaches s
 ignificantly feed into the new research foci in urban ecology\, as they sp
 ecifically study the dynamics within and the interaction between the socia
 l and ecological systems. Empirical results for the transition of energy r
 egions will be presented.Short biography:\nProf. Dr. Claudia R. Binder hol
 ds a PhD in environmental sciences and a venia legendi in Human- Environme
 nt Systems\, both from\, ETHZ\, Switzerland. 2006-2009: assistant professo
 r for Social and Industrial Ecology\, University of Zurich\; 2009-2011: pr
 ofessor for Systems Sciences\, University of Graz\, Austria\; 2011-2016: f
 ull professor for Human Environment Relations\, Department of Geography\, 
 University of Munich\, Germany. Since March 2016 she is head of the Labora
 tory on Human-Environment Relations in Urban Systems (HERUS) at ENAC\, EPF
 L. She is a founding Member of the “European Group for the Study of Soci
 o-Ecological and Socio-Technical Systems” and a member of the working gr
 oup “Spatial politics and planning for the energy transition” in Germa
 ny. Since 2016 she is Forschungsrätin for the Swiss National Science Foun
 dation / Division Programme. Her research interests lie in analyzing\, mod
 eling and assessing transitions towards sustainability. She develops inter
 -and transdisciplinary methods to understand the relations\, feedbacks\, a
 nd regulatory mechanisms between human and the environmental systems. Her 
 application areas are in energy\, phosphorous\, water\, food\, and land-us
 e in the context of urban\, peri-urban and rural development in Europe and
  Latin America.
LOCATION:GR C0 01 http://plan.epfl.ch/?room=GR%20C0%2001
STATUS:CONFIRMED
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR