Lecture series (E)U against CO2: “Let’s Make Europe Better Together!”

Protecting the environment is a goal that can only be reached if everyone pulls together – and this is exactly what our lecture series in summer semester 2022 (E)U against CO2: “Let’s Make Europe Better Together!” hopes to show . Scientists at FAU and the European EELISA partner universities are approaching the topic of protecting the environment from a number of different angles, for example anthropology, chemistry, energy process engineering, meteorology and the fashion industry.

What are the latest findings of the IPCC? Which method is most environmentally friendly when it comes to generating energy? Can we meet our climate objectives? How will our weather change in the coming years? These and other questions will be answered during the series of lectures.

The series of lectures is organized and moderated by students from the Students’ Representatives’ working group for ecology and sustainability at FAU.

Protecting the environment: the big picture

“For our first series of lectures in summer semester 2020, we invited scientists from FAU, in winter semesters 2020/21 and 2021/22 environmental protection experts from the whole of Germany and international researchers in the previous summer semester,” explains Kathrin Müller, one of the organizers of the series of lectures. “Until now, our talks have gone under the heading ‘(FA)U against CO2’. This semester, however, we are placing our focus on our European partner universities that are connected to FAU through the EELISA alliance.”

A European approach

“With our joint lecture series, we hope to strengthen our links through EELISA, to learn together with and from our partner universities and to offer our audience as wide as possible a range of topics,” explains organizer Corinna Knauer. As several speakers come from countries outside of Germany, the series of lectures will be held in English.

Key qualifications

Students from all faculties can have the series of lectures accredited as key qualifications. The Center for Applied Philosophy of Science and Key Qualifications is responsible for organizing all matters relating to examinations. In order to obtain 2.5 ECTS credits, students must take an active part in the lecture and submit an essay of approximately half a page in length for each presentation. “The fact that the lectures are not only interesting but can also count towards your studies makes it doubly motivating for students to attend,” explains Corinna Knauer.

Program

• May 3 Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kießling (FAU) – The Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC in a nutshell
• May 10 Prof. Dr. Colette Depeyre (PSL) – The case of fashion – Debates and transformations for greater sustainable responsibility
• April 17 Dr. Ryan Crisp (FAU) – Solar cells and solar fuels – the future of tomorrow?
• May 24 Prof. Dr. Katharina Herkendell (FAU) – Biological Power-to-X: CO2 upgrading with enzymes and renewable electricity
• May 31 Prof. Dr. Adam Torok (BME) – Sustainability questions in transport systems – Problems, Analysis, Doubts, Concerns
• June 7 Prof. Dr. Alberto Abánades (UPM) – Towards a deep transformation of the energy system
• June 14 Prof. Dr. Ahmet Duran Şahin (ITU) – Climate Change Mitigation with Climate based energies and potentials
• June 21 Dr. Tamás Pálvölgyi (BME) – Decarbonization, resilience and sustainability: role of municipalities in mainstreaming of climate change policies
• June 28 Prof. Dr. Cristobal Gallego-Castillo (UPM) – How much fossil fuels need to remain unextracted to meet Paris Agreement? Regional requirements vs trends
• July 5 Prof. Dr. Cristian-Florian Dincă (UPB) – Climate Change and Carbon Capture
• July 12 Prof. Dr. Lăcrămioara Diana Robescu (UPB) – Water in the city – climate change challenges
• July 19 Dr. Umut Kuruüzüm (ITÜ) – Plasticisation of agriculture in the anthropocene era

The following universities are taking part in the series of lectures:

Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL), Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem (BME), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Universitatea Politehnica din Bucureşti (UPB) and Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU).