Energy Justice Conference & Appropriate Technology Arcade
October 23rd and 24th, 2009
14 CLE Credits Available
The Center for Energy and Environmental Security (CEES) at Colorado Law is proud to announce the 2009 Energy Justice Conference and Appropriate Technology Arcade on October 23 and 24. The Conference brings together leading international and U.S. decision-makers in politics, engineering, public health, law, business, economics, and innovators in the sciences to explore how to address the critical needs of the energy-oppressed poor (EOP) through long-term interdisciplinary action, information sharing, and deployment of appropriate sustainable energy technologies. Several of these technologies will be on display at the Arcade. The Conference and Arcade will be held at the Wolf Law Building at the University of Colorado at Boulder and will begin at 8:30am on Friday, October 23.
Energy Justice identifies and responds to energy access problems facing almost one third of the world’s population. While two thirds of the world relies on fossil fuels and are “high energy users,” almost two billion people in the world are “low energy users,” relying primarily on biomass-based fire to meet all their energy needs. While this type of energy can be used for cooking and heating, it is also injurious for many reasons. Black soot emitted from burning biomass causes very serious indoor air pollution, resulting in 1.5 million premature deaths every year, primarily among women and children. When this black soot enters the atmosphere, it becomes the second most significant cause of climate change. Additionally, women and children spend many long hours collecting biomass, and are thereby denied basic educational opportunities.
The Conference brings together international and U.S. decision-makers to focus on solutions to these energy access dilemmas by addressing indoor and atmospheric pollution, creating sustainable energy with appropriate technologies, and promoting economic growth that will break the poverty cycle and create new markets. A primary objective of the conference is to coordinate identification, development, and broad-scale dissemination of appropriate sustainable energy technologies and adapt them for individual community use. The Appropriate Technology Arcade will feature examples of such technologies.
The Conference program includes outstanding speakers doing crucial work in intergovernmental organizations, governments, NGOs, corporations, and academia, including: UNIDO, the World Bank, UN Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, USAID, EPA, PCIA, Engineers Without Borders, Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership, Rocky Mountain Institute, Practical Action, Manna Energy, Ashoka, Lawrence Berkeley Lab, University of California, Oxford University, Stockholm University, Colorado State University, and University of Colorado. Please click here for the full conference program.
CEES is an interdisciplinary research and policy center at Colorado Law, working to develop practical strategies and solutions for moving international society toward a global sustainable energy future. For more information about CEES, please click here.