Is renewable energy a utopia?
Description
One of the greatest challenges of our century is the transition from fossil fuels to renewable or sustainable sources.
The entire debate on renewable energy sources is underpinned by the belief that this transition will eventually be made possible by modern technology.
In his lecture, the speaker will challenge the latter proposition. First, he will show that the energy sector is violently vast. In addition, he will show that the growth in the use of energy exceeds the increase in the amount of renewable energy. In other words, all the renewable energy developments are not even sufficient to keep up with the growth in the amount of energy. As a result, fossil fuel consumption continues to grow. We face a big dilemma: either we accept a sharp rise in global temperatures (including all the consequences on a global scale) or we switch en masse to nuclear energy (including all the risks and waste problems). The various questions and dilemmas will be analysed from a philosophical perspective
Maarten Verkerk (1953) is extraordinary professor of Reformational Philosophy. He studied chemistry and theoretical physics in Utrecht (1977) and received his PhD in technical sciences at the Technical University Twente (1982). He was a senior researcher at the Research Laboratory of Philips (1982-1986). In the period 1986-2002 he was manager in the industrial area (development, manufacturing) in The Netherlands, Germany and Taiwan. In the period 2003-2007 he was division manager and director of a psychiatric hospital. In 2004 he received a second PhD at the University Maastricht. The title of this thesis was Trust and Power on the Shop Floor. An ethnographical, ethical, and philosophical study on responsible behaviour in industrial organisations. The research interests of Maarten Verkerk include: feminism, responsibility processes in industrial organizations, change management, ethics of technology, ethics of management and organisation, and innovation in health care.
Speaker(s)
Maarten Verkerk is author and co-author of many articles and books. He wrote amongst others about feminism the monograph Sekse als antwoord (1997), about team work in factories Market-oriented production management. From task group to mini-company (with De Leede van Van der Tas, 1997), about improvement cultures Improvement Teams at Work (with Jansen, 2005), about the implementation of codes and ethical programmes Responsible behaviour in the workplace (with Leerssen, 2005), about science fiction films The Matrix Code (with Cusveller and De Vries, 2007), and about philosophy of technology Thinking, designing, making. Basisboek techniekfilosofie (withHoogland, Van der Stoep and De Vries, 2007).
Maarten Verkerk also holds a chair of Reformational Philosophy at the University Maastricht. Besides that he is director of an innovation network in health care (VitaValley).
Maarten Verkerk is a member of the 3TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology
Location
Utrecht
Organiser
Philosophy & Technology
Name and contact details for information
Further information from drs.ing. Henk Uijttenhout (vz), tel: 070 - 3875293 / 06 - 26715554 or via the e-mail address below.