On the third day of the Respect2020 event Maximillian Stoller, the organizer, gave a brief recapitulation of the previous days’ work. As he summarized, there are already many ideas worldwide on how to tackle the problem of global climate change. Some of these have been implemented, but the majority do not have the desired effects. During this workshop, participants focussed on single ideas, and brainstormed how best to carry these out in Switzerland. As Max stated, it is critical we drastically reduce our CO2 levels over the next ten years in order to curb the degree of warming. For this to be successful, technical measures will have to be enforced to speed the reduction rate. Once this occurs, we should direct our attention towards lifestyle changes.
Workshop participants were split into groups which had been formed in the first two days, each of them focussing on a specific time period or solution. The first half of the day was spent in the groups discussing ideas and solutions, and preparing to present these in plenum.
Of the two groups concentrated on the time period from 2018 until around 2025, one examined how best to involve the public in the climate change debate. They concluded that it would be beneficial to incorporate an advisory board into the Swiss political discourse that would discuss climate change on a scientific basis. Board members would advise politicians while providing unbiased information. As the group postulated, incorporating such a board would enable a more publically accessible demonstration of the steps politicians are taking on the topic of climate change. The second group allocated to the period until 2025 suggested a technical solution. This solution could be a potential addition to the Energy Strategy 2050, concentrating on “cleaning” the air. Air filtering as well as carbon capture and storage methods were outlined with an emphasis laid on CO2-sequestering.
Human behavior was inspected by the third and fourth groups, which called for lifestyle changes. As they suggested, we should focus on educating younger generations about the causes and effects of global climate change. A more founded education will enable them to better assess their personal impact. One group drafted a brochure providing general information on climate change and how small changes in one’s daily routine can already make a difference. The last group presented the widespread use of an App that combined personal incentive with peer competition to encourage people to make ecofriendly lifestyle changes.
During the second half of the day, workshop participants listened to an environmental scientist (C. Goodale) and a sociologist (Tsiom Motkin) from the United States present their ideas on how to reduce carbon emissions. Goodale presented the use of Thorium (Th) in liquid-fluoride reactors to create nuclear energy. This is the best alternative energy solution according to Goodale, since Th exists “everywhere”, meaning each country would have the potential to become energy autonomous. Thorium, seeing as it is also a fossil fuel, is suggested as an intermediate solution to give us more time to make the energy transition. Within the period of Th-availability, one could concentrate on sociological tactics to change people’s behaviour to be more sustainable. Motkin expressed the need to provide incentives for sustainable behaviour, e.g. carpooling or switching to an electric car, and generally limiting personal vehicle use. The key to a transition towards sustainability is a combined shift away from fossil fuels as well as cars. As Motkin suggests, using Th as an alternative energy would support this shift. He too highlighted the need to reach out to children in the form of education, promoting sustainable lifestyles.
Participant questions and concluding remarks brought the workshop to a close. Respect2020 provided a platform for interested students to discuss problems and contemplate solutions surrounding the topic of climate change. Through these discussions, the multifaceted issues of global warming and the potential difficulties with implementing proposed solutions became very clear. Though many of the solutions discussed over the three days are not plausible in impact or scope, a few ideas provided valuable suggestions that should be taken into consideration. Events such as Respect2020 give participants room for creativity while furthering the discourse on climate change and sustainability and are key players on the path to sustainability.