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Energy Ethics 2021

Energy Transitions & Planetary Futures

October 25 – October 27

About the Event

Energy demand is growing, while urgent calls to reduce and mitigate the environmental impact of carbon emissions are intensifying. Transitioning our societies to low-carbon economies seems both inevitable and essential to planetary survival. In the lead-up to COP26, the Centre for Energy Ethics is hosting a virtual conference to reflect carefully and critically on envisioned energy transitions and what they might entail. Bringing together researchers across the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences, we ask: what visions of society and planetary futures are being put forth by ‘energy transitions’ around the world? What will their implications be? And how will they be realised?



CONFERENCE Programme

The Conference will include an exciting range of keynotes, roundtables, and research papers, as well as a virtual exhibition area featuring creative projects, research groups, COP 26 fringe events, and more. Details to follow.

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09:00 – 10:00
WELCOME & KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Life Beyond Ruin: Toward an Environmental Justice Transition Ethic
Opening Keynote by Dr Dana Powell
10:30 – 16:30
PANEL SESSIONS
10:30 – 12:00
CO-EXISTENCE: Decarbonizing Electricity
10:30 – 12:00
FAIRNESS: Infrastructure Planning 1
13:00 – 14:30
PROSPERITY: Prosperity After Oil
13:00 – 14:30
FAIRNESS: Infrastructure Planning 2
15:00 – 16:30
VULNERABILITY: A better grid 1
15:00 – 16:30
CO-EXISTENCE: Transition & Transformation
18:00 – 19:30
VISUALIZING ENERGY: A filmmakers’ discussion
Discussion event with Emily Munro, the director of Living Proof: A Climate Story (2021), and with Massimiliano Mollona and Anne Marthe Dyvi, the directors of Oilers (2016). They will be joined in their discussion by Dr Maria Velez-Serna from the University of Stirling, Lecturer in Communications, Media and Culture.
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10:00 – 15:30
PANELS
10:00 – 11:30
VULNERABILITY: A Better Grid 2
10:00 – 11:30
INNOVATION: Knowledge & Technology
12:00 – 13:30
FAIRNESS: Post-Extractivism
12:00 – 13:30
INNOVATION: Knowledge & Technology SOLAR
13:15 – 14:45
FAIRNESS: Energy Justice
14:00 – 15:30
PROSPERITY: Greening Economies
16:00 – 18:00
JUST TRANSITIONS ROUNDTABLE
A roundtable exploring the possibilities and forms of just transitions, with COP 26 in Glasgow only a few days away. We welcome Prof. Imre Szeman as Chair and moderator for this session. He will be joined by Prof. Julie Sze, Prof. Jamie Cross, and Prof. Benjamin Sovacool.
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09:00 – 11:00
NEW BOOK ROUNDTABLE
A roundtable bringing together books published in 2021, which explore energy and climate issues from a range of perspectives and disciplines. We welcome Dr Sean Field as the Chair and moderator for this session. He will be joined by Dr Canay Özden-Schilling, author of “ The Current Economy: Electricity Markets and Techno-Economics ”, Prof Peter Newell, author of “ Power shift: The Global Political Economy of Energy Transitions ”, and Dr Ewan Gibbs, author of “ Coal Country: The Meaning and Memory of Deindustrialization in Postwar Scotland
09:00 – 15:45
PANELS
09:00 – 10:30
INNOVATION: Hydrogen Futures
09:00 – 10:30
FAIRNESS: Clean Tech, Privilege, and Inequality
11:30 – 13:00
CO-EXISTENCE: Lithium Connections
11:30 – 13:00
CO-EXISTENCE: Lands & Livelihoods
13:00 – 14:30
VULNERABILITY: Cultures of Energy
14:30 – 15:40
CO-EXISTENCE: Negotiating Co-Existence
16:00 – 17:00
CLOSING REMARKS & KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Reaching for Just Transitions: Tactics, strategies and experiments
Closing Keynote Speech by Prof. Kim Fortun
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01:00 – 02:00 PDT
WELCOME & KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Life Beyond Ruin: Toward an Environmental Justice Transition Ethic
Opening Keynote by Dr Dana Powell
02:30 – 08:30 PDT
PANEL SESSIONS
02:30 – 04:30 PDT
CO-EXISTENCE: Decarbonizing Electricity
02:30 – 04:30 PDT
FAIRNESS: Infrastructure Planning 1
05:00 – 06:30 PDT
PROSPERITY: Prosperity After Oil
05:30 – 06:30 PDT
FAIRNESS: Infrastructure Planning 2
07:00 – 08:30 PDT
VULNERABILITY: A better grid 1
07:00 – 08:30 PDT
CO-EXISTENCE: Transition & Transformation
10:00 – 11:30 PDT
VISUALIZING ENERGY: A filmmakers’ discussion
Discussion event with Emily Munro, the director of Living Proof: A Climate Story (2021), and with Massimiliano Mollona and Anne Marthe Dyvi, the directors of Oilers (2016). They will be joined in their discussion by Dr Maria Velez-Serna from the University of Stirling, Lecturer in Communications, Media and Culture.
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02:00 – 07:30 PDT
PANELS
02:00 – 03:30 PDT
VULNERABILITY: A Better Grid 2
02:00 – 03:30 PDT
INNOVATION: Knowledge & Technology
04:00 – 05:30 PDT
FAIRNESS: Post-Extractivism
04:00 – 05:30 PDT
INNOVATION: Knowledge & Technology SOLAR
05:15 – 06:45 PDT
FAIRNESS: Energy Justice
06:00 – 07:30 PDT
PROSPERITY: Greening Economies
08:00 – 10:00 PDT
JUST TRANSITIONS ROUNDTABLE
A roundtable exploring the possibilities and forms of just transitions, with COP 26 in Glasgow only a few days away. We welcome Prof. Imre Szeman as Chair and moderator for this session. He will be joined by Prof. Julie Sze, Prof. Jamie Cross, and Prof. Benjamin Sovacool.
Add Settings
01:00 – 03:00 PDT
NEW BOOK ROUNDTABLE
A roundtable bringing together books published in 2021, which explore energy and climate issues from a range of perspectives and disciplines. We welcome Dr Sean Field as the Chair and moderator for this session. He will be joined by Dr Canay Özden-Schilling, author of “ The Current Economy: Electricity Markets and Techno-Economics ”, Prof Peter Newell, author of “ Power shift: The Global Political Economy of Energy Transitions ”, and Dr Ewan Gibbs, author of “ Coal Country: The Meaning and Memory of Deindustrialization in Postwar Scotland
01:00 – 07:45 PDT
PANELS
01:00 – 02:30 PDT
INNOVATION: Hydrogen Futures
01:00 – 02:30 PDT
FAIRNESS: Clean Tech, Privilege, and Inequality
03:30 – 05:00 PDT
CO-EXISTENCE: Lithium Connections
03:30 – 05:00 PDT
CO-EXISTENCE: Lands & Livelihoods
05:00 – 06:30 PDT
VULNERABILITY: Cultures of Energy
06:30 – 07:40 PDT
CO-EXISTENCE: Negotiating Co-Existence
08:00 – 09:00 PDT
CLOSING REMARKS & KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Reaching for Just Transitions: Tactics, strategies and experiments
Closing Keynote Speech by Prof. Kim Fortun
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16:00 – 17:00 CST
WELCOME & KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Life Beyond Ruin: Toward an Environmental Justice Transition Ethic
Opening Keynote by Dr Dana Powell
17:30 – 23:30 CST
PANEL SESSIONS
17:30 – 19:30 CST
CO-EXISTENCE: Decarbonizing Electricity
17:30 – 19:30 CST
FAIRNESS: Infrastructure Planning 1
20:00 – 21:30 CST0
PROSPERITY: Prosperity After Oil
20:00 – 21:30 CST
FAIRNESS: Infrastructure Planning 2
22:00 – 23:30 CST
VULNERABILITY: A better grid 1
22:00 – 23:30 CST
CO-EXISTENCE: Transition & Transformation
01:00 – 02:30 CST
VISUALIZING ENERGY: A filmmakers’ discussion
Discussion event with Emily Munro, the director of Living Proof: A Climate Story (2021), and with Massimiliano Mollona and Anne Marthe Dyvi, the directors of Oilers (2016). They will be joined in their discussion by Dr Maria Velez-Serna from the University of Stirling, Lecturer in Communications, Media and Culture.
Add Settings
17:00 – 22:30 CST
PANELS
17:00 – 18:30 CST
VULNERABILITY: A Better Grid 2
17:00 – 18:30 CST
INNOVATION: Knowledge & Technology
19:00 – 20:30 CST
FAIRNESS: Post-Extractivism
19:00 – 20:30 CST
INNOVATION: Knowledge & Technology SOLAR
20:15 – 21:45 CST
FAIRNESS: Energy Justice
21:00 – 22:30 CST
PROSPERITY: Greening Economies
23:00 – 01:00 CST
JUST TRANSITIONS ROUNDTABLE
A roundtable exploring the possibilities and forms of just transitions, with COP 26 in Glasgow only a few days away. We welcome Prof. Imre Szeman as Chair and moderator for this session. He will be joined by Prof. Julie Sze, Prof. Jamie Cross, and Prof. Benjamin Sovacool.
Add Settings
16:00 – 18:00 CST
NEW BOOK ROUNDTABLE
A roundtable bringing together books published in 2021, which explore energy and climate issues from a range of perspectives and disciplines. We welcome Dr Sean Field as the Chair and moderator for this session. He will be joined by Dr Canay Özden-Schilling, author of “ The Current Economy: Electricity Markets and Techno-Economics ”, Prof Peter Newell, author of “ Power shift: The Global Political Economy of Energy Transitions ”, and Dr Ewan Gibbs, author of “ Coal Country: The Meaning and Memory of Deindustrialization in Postwar Scotland
16:00 – 22:45 CST
PANELS
16:00 – 17:30 CST
INNOVATION: Hydrogen Futures
16:00 – 17:30 CST
FAIRNESS: Clean Tech, Privilege, and Inequality
18:30 – 20:00 CST
CO-EXISTENCE: Lithium Connections
18:30 – 20:00 CST
CO-EXISTENCE: Lands & Livelihoods
20:00 – 21:30 CST
VULNERABILITY: Cultures of Energy
21:30 – 22:40 CST
CO-EXISTENCE: Negotiating Co-Existence
23:00 – 00:00 CST
CLOSING REMARKS & KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Reaching for Just Transitions: Tactics, strategies and experiments
Closing Keynote Speech by Prof. Kim Fortun

World Clock

BST GMT+1

PDT GMT-8

CST GMT+8

Call for Abstracts

We invited abstracts that engaged with the question of energy transitions by responding to the themes and prompts below. Abstracts were collected on the 6th of August 2021 and notification of acceptance was given by the 16th August 2021.
At a time of growing demand for energy and rising concerns about reducing and mitigating the environmental impact of global carbon emissions, transitions to low-carbon energy economies seem both inevitable and essential. “Energy Transitions” have been adopted as an official policy of numerous governments and a global imperative in the fight against anthropogenic climate change. In official pledges and commitments to ‘Net Zero’, energy transitions have captured the imagination of a postcarbon future. This conference calls for analytical and critical attention to the ways in which energy transitions are mobilised around the world. We ask: What visions of society and planetary futures are being put forth by ‘energy transitions’ around the world? What is a ‘just’ transition, and for whom? What hopes and fears animate discourses, practices and models of energy transitions? How are energy transitions claimed as environmental, social, cultural, personal, ethical or political projects? What challenges and possibilities do they present? Are conflicting visions of energy futures reconcilable? How can different forms and ways of life co-exist in these transitions? What kind of energy should fuel our world, and what kind of world do we want to fuel? Read more

Rather than taking the aims and means of energy transitions for granted, this conference brings together researchers across the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences to invite critical engagement with and reflection on the social, cultural, economic and political complexity and diversity of energy futures around the world.

Theme 1. EMERGENCY [Time, Urgency, Crisis; Rupture]  

Climate emergencies have been declared by governments, cities, organisations and communities around the world. What are the temporalities of climate emergencies and energy transitions? What discourses and practices of energy transitions operate within particular conceptions of political and planetary time?  

Theme 2. PROSPERITY [Stability, Security, Growth, the Good Life]

The climate crisis presents a unique opportunity to rethink global prosperity and redistributive mechanisms. What notions of well-being animate calls for energy transitions? What vision of the ‘common good’ and the ‘good life’ do they proffer? What is perceived as valuable, worth investing in or not?

Theme 3. VULNERABILITY [Fears, Fragility, Loss, Collapse, Extinction]

Climate change is a global issue, yet its impacts are differentially felt and distributed. What vulnerabilities are at stake in the face of transition imperatives? How do they work to unite or divide us? What are the demands and expectations, the sacrifices, changes and compromises that these imperatives suggest?  

Theme 4. FAIRNESS [Justice, Diversity, Inclusivity, Responsibility, Liability]

Calls for climate justice resound across academic, activist and political spheres, in parallel with endorsements of a "fair" and "just" transition. How do energy transitions reconfigure geographies of extraction, access and inequity?  What forms of responsibility emerge in discussions, meetings and international agreements around climate change and energy futures?

Theme 5. CO-EXISTENCE [Conflict, Friction, Harmony, Mutuality]

Practices and visions of energy transitions are multiple, and do not always align. What frictions and harmonies are at stake here? Are different visions of society, the human and non-human, and energy fundamentally opposed? At what scale do transitions occur? How can different forms and ways of life co-exist?

Theme 6. INNOVATION [Creativity, Technology, Change] 

‘Transitioning’ away from certain energy sources towards others comes with technical and social challenges. What material and ethical dilemmas, contradictions and achievements might emerge in the global search for more efficient, low-carbon, cleaner technologies? How do optimism and creativity figure in response to these dilemmas? 

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Prof Kim Fortun

Dr Dana Powell

Centre for Energy Ethics

Launched on 25 February 2021, the Centre for Energy Ethics is a brand new interdisciplinary and innovative research centre directed by Dr Mette High and based at the University of St Andrews. Involving researchers from across the University, the CEE tackles one of the most urgent and profound challenges facing humanity today: how to balance our energy demands with our concerns for anthropogenic climate change. Bringing together diverse areas of expertise, including researchers, industry, and communities, we embrace our responsibility as scholars to address and collectively answer big societal questions about how to create a better energy future for us all.

Funders

This Conference is generously funded by the European Research Council and the Scottish Funding Council