By the year 2050, the EU is striving to live in a post-carbon society, minimizing, in the process, the EU’s negative environmental impact. To accomplish this goal, an interdisciplinary approach must be taken across multiple sectors. The Research for a Post-Carbon Future conference highlighted the work of Ecologic Institute by sharing and discussing research from three separate European Commission-funded projects investigating the European energy transformation, "Transition towards Low-Carbon Energy Security" (MILESECURE 2050), Post-Carbon Cities in Europe: A Long-Term Outlook (POCACITO) and Combining Policy Instruments to Achieve Europe's 2050 Climate Targets (CECILIA 2050).

The conference speakers covered a variety of topics, including barriers and drivers in society, the role of targets in reaching a post-carbon future in 2050 and evaluating the nature of transitions and their behavior. The importance of civic engagement in the transition process and the impact of risks and uncertainty were also discussed.  All of this was framed in the context of the MILESECURE 2050, POCACITO and CECILIA 2050 projects. The cross-sharing of research among the three projects was an added advantage to the projects at large.

This day also marked the beginning of Ecologic Institute’s 20th year as an organization. Ecologic Institute was proud to sponsor this event and is glad to continue to work on issues such as the EU transition to a post-carbon future in the years to come.

For more information on the conference, visit the website or follow on twitter, #PostCarbonConference.