Ireland Could Be a Global ‘Player’ in Green Technologies

 

Siemens Launches Climate Change Lecture Tour

 

Ireland could become a world leader in the green technologies sector and an international supplier of renewable energy, if we invest now in science and technology innovation and maximise our energy resources, such as wind and wave, according to one of the world‘s leading engineering companies, Siemens.

 

Speaking at the launch of a three−month lecture tour on climate change in third level colleges around the country, Dr. Werner Kruckow, CEO of Siemens Limited said “The challenge of climate change presents Ireland with an opportunity to become a leading green economy. By investing in renewables and other innovative green technologies, Ireland can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, improve the country‘s competitiveness by creating an efficient sustainable infrastructure and in the process create green collar jobs.“

 

A key component in developing this industry will be the supply of qualified and skilled science and engineering graduates. As part of its engineering education programme called ‘Generation 21‘, Siemens has joined forces with the Ecology Foundation in hosting a series of Climate Change lectures to raise awareness and provide real information on climate change and its implications for society‘s future. The series is designed to educate and encourage undergraduate and graduate students to assess how they can play a role in tackling climate change. The lectures not only focus on the challenge of climate change, but also on the positive role science, engineering, innovation and business can make by addressing it.

 

“With climate change becoming the world‘s number one issue both for business and government, tomorrow‘s graduates will need to be aware of the opportunities and risks inherent in this new paradigm. Ultimately we want people to really think about climate change issues and what they, as individuals, can do to help address it and also bring to their attention the breadth of industry opportunities that exist in this new area,“ added Dr. Kruckow.

 

Through the course of the three−month Siemens Climate Change Lecture Tour over 300 students are expected to attend. It is open to all students and some colleges are providing access to members of the public.

 

The lecture series is free and consists of four separate lectures delivered by The Ecology Foundation‘s climate change specialists. The lectures are outlined as follows:

 

• Climate Change − An introduction to climate change, the science behind it, little known facts and a discussion of the efforts required to meet the climate change challenge.
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• The Business of Climate Change − An explanation of how climate change will transform global commerce and affect business strategy, illustrating how business can play a leading role to help society adapt to the inevitable challenges.
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• The Engineering Challenge of Climate Change − A presentation of the major engineering challenges of climate change, looking at the solutions that are ready, those that are in the research and development phase and the critical bottlenecks in deploying appropriate technology.
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• Climate Change and the Psychology of Risk and Response − A lecture on what can be learned from attitudes to climate change, understanding the inertia facing the challenge and drawing insights from psychology, evolutionary psychology and game theory.

 

For more details, including dates and locations, please visit: www.siemens.ie/climatechange For more information on The Ecology Foundation, please visit www.theecologyfoundation.ie −ends−

 

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