The consensus at the session on Sustainability: What’s Changing the World, Or Could was that countries need to wake up to the challenges posed by climate change and agree on how to provide a way of living that’s sustainable.
Oxford University’s Malcolm McCulloch said that no country was closing on a level of sustainability, and that renewable energy (RE) provides a viable alternative.
“We need diversification of RE for demand side management to build an energy system for the future,” McCulloch said.
Tim Kruger from the Oxford Martin School agreed with McCulloch, stating that world was heading towards dangerously high carbon levels in the atmosphere by the turn of the century.
He identified ocean acidification as an emerging issue and said geo-engineering was a possible solution.
Ignacio Campino, director at the Desertec Foundation, offered an interesting solution to climate change – exploiting the solar energy potential of deserts, ever-increasing due to global warming.
All the speakers were optimistic that a new climate agreement will be delivered in Paris in 2015.
