Rising energy prices driven by growing demand from emerging countries, a change from demand to supply markets, tendencies to use energy as a “power currency” in international relations, a growing risk of conflicts about access to energy resources, the increasing concern about climate change, and the debate on sustainable use of energy – all these tendencies have put energy and climate policy on top of the international agenda.
There is a growing insight amongst experts and in the wider public that the way we use and generate energy is the major force behind climate change. For this reason energy policy is decisive in the fight against climate change, and it plays an important role in the challenge of reaching consensus on a post-Kyoto agreement.
Energy efficiency as well as emission certificate trading are widely considered as main instruments to reduce emissions. Against this background the conference will address the crucial question of whether technological or regulatory policy options are the best strategy to resolve the CO2 problem.
Without any doubt the pressure is rising to better coordinate the policies of the single countries and to develop a resilient basis for a new comprehensive energy order and global mechanisms for climate protection. The global dimension of climate change and energy security call for new structures of dialogue and cooperation on a global and bilateral level.
How have the German and European energy and climate policy developed over the last years and how has the Japanese? What areas for closer cooperation between Japan and Europe can be identified? These are the important questions to be answered in order to stimulate a new common approach to the most critical challenge of our future.
Conference languages are English, German and Japanese.