Global Sustainability 2009

The intensive two-week summer program brought together researchers, practitioners and students from diverse backgrounds to discuss the challenges in understanding and modeling climate change. Through this effort SFI is continuing to build a community of "thinkers" and "doers" committed to ensuring the sustainability of our planet.

Topics explored during the GSSS included population and social development and its effects on energy resource consumption; climate and energy economics; energy technologies and associated paths to transition to low-carbon energy infrastructure; land use; and innovation and technology.

Co-directors were Doug Arent, Director, Strategic Energy Analysis, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; J. Doyne Farmer, Professor, Santa Fe Institute; John Schellnhuber, Professor and Director, Potsdam Institute; and Jessika Trancik, Postdoctoral Fellow, Santa Fe Institute.

The Santa Fe Institute and co-organizers extend a special thank you to the Gladys B Foundation for generously supporting the videography and webcast of the 2009 GSSS.

Information on speakers can be found here.

Information on students can be found here.

Press Release (279.3 KB)

Overview

Doyne Farmer	"Complex Systems Approaches" [Video] "The Discipline of Adaptive Complex Systems" [Video] [PDF]
Dennis Meadows	"Obstacles to Effective Climate Policy" [Video] [PDF] Student Summaries [PDF]
Jessika Trancik	"Overview of School and Open Questions in Sustainability" [Video] [PDF]
Geoffrey West	"Welcoming Remarks" [Video] "Sustainability and the Complex Systems Approach" [Video] [PDF]
	"Wrap Up" [Video]

Climate

Matthew England	"Climate Change - A Climate Physics Primer" [Video] [PDF] "Climate Change - The Ocean's Role in Climate and Climate Change" [Video] [PDF] "Climate Change - Climate Models - How do They Work and Why Should We Trust Them?" [Video] [PDF] Student Summaries [PDF]
Joellen Russell	"Southwest Climate, the Westerly Winds and Climate Model Projections" [Video] [PDF] "The Once and Future Battles of Thor and the Midgard Serpent, or: The Westerlies and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in Global Climate" [Video] [PDF] Student Summaries [PDF]
John Schellnhuber	"Cold War, Global Warming: A Tale of Two Dilemmata" [Video] [PDF]

Economics

Partha Dasgupta	"Discounting Climate Change" [Video] [PDF] "Sustainable Development and Green National Accounts" [Video] [PDF] Student Summaries [PDF]
Ottmar Edenhofer	"The Economics of Atmospheric Stabilization" [Video] [PDF] "Towards a Global Contract on Climate Change" [Video] [PDF] Student Summaries [PDF]

Technology

Doug Arent	"Insights or Confusion: Analysis of Climate and Energy Systems" [Video] [PDF]
Andrew Hargadon	"Networks of Innovation I" [Video] [PDF] "Networks of Innovation II" [Video] [PDF] Student Summaries [PDF]
Chuck Kutscher	"The Urgency of Climate Change and How to Address It With Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency" [Video] [PDF] "Concentrating Solar Power (CSP)" [Video] [PDF] Student Summaries [PDF]
Amory Lovins	"Winning the Oil Endgame" [Video] "Winning the Coal Endgame" [Video] [PDF] Student Summaries [PDF]
Donald Paul	"Understanding the Global Energy System" [Video] [PDF] "Energy Technology and The Implications For Sustainability" [Video] [PDF] Student Summaries [PDF]
Carlo Rubbia	"Earth, Environment and Energy: Fossil Fuels" [Video] [PDF] "Earth, Environment and Energy: Solar-Based Energy" [Video] [PDF] "Earth, Environment and Energy: Nuclear Power" [Video] [PDF] Student Summaries [PDF]

Panel Discussions

Partha Dasgupta, Amory Lovins, John Schellnhuber	"Will it Cost the Earth to Save the Planet" [Video]
Partha Dasgupta, Murray Gell-Mann, Arnulf Grübler, Andrew Hargadon, Chuck Kutscher, Joellen Russell	"Impacts, The Bigger Picture" [Video]
Jim Giles, Mark Hertsgaard, Julie Rehmeyer, Andrew Revkin	"Sustainability in the Media" [Video] [PDF]

Research proposals from student working groups can be found here.