Key questions
The theme of this years annual meeting is "Pathways to our common future". During the meeting we will discuss pathways as an underlying concept for
sustainability science that will aid the development of social and technical systems for our near-term future. The key questions focus on two recently
initiated large-scale research flagship programs within The AGS; one in the energy area and one within food and water.
All participants are welcome to submit written contributions for the meeting proceedings that will be published before the meeting and used to
underpin discussions in the annual meeting open forums.
Key Questions - Energy
| 1. |
What are the key technologies and systems for pathways to sustainable energy systems? |
| 2. |
What are the political actions and decisions, both nationally and internationally, that will be required for different pathways? |
| 3. |
What are the possibilities and obstacles for different pathways to be accepted by society? |
Key Questions - Food and water
| 1. |
Which social and technical innovations can promote pathways to a nourished world? |
| 2. |
How will the needs and demands of the global population affect near-term pathways (5-15 years)? |
| 3. |
What are the global food and water ecosystem services, where are they located and what are the limiting factors? |
At the 2005 annual meeting The AGS inaugurated the first of its "flagship" research, education and outreach programs with a focus on the
transition to more sustainable energy systems. Entitled, "Near-Term Pathways to a Sustainable Energy Future" the Energy Flagship Program
recognizes that "sustainable energy" refers not just to individual clean technologies, but how such technologies can collectively transform
regional energy infrastructures over time. Such transitions or "pathways" are a long-term process, where near-term actions related to the
development, deployment and use of sustainable energy technologies factor large in determining how fast a path, once found, can be followed.X
Identifying such robust, technologically grounded infrastructure pathways - and the policies that encourage their implementation - is a key
element of the AGS Energy Flagship Program.
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Energy Pathways Flagship Program  |
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Energy Pathways Flagship Program  |
The AGS Food and Water Flagship program on "Secure ecosystem services for a nourished world" was launched at the annual meeting 2006.
It will identify development paths for social and technical systems which aim for a nourished world in balance with the provisioning
ecosystems. The heart of the program is data and knowledge bases that reflect requirements of the AGS integrated model system, the latter
including biophysical, economic and geographic models. Models of the complex and dynamic nature of food and water systems will provide a
solid foundation for descriptions of the future, a future which we will foresee through social and technical system pathways. Pathways
will be tracked by combining stakeholder dialogue with the modeling results to provide a combined actor-modeling procedure.
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Food and Water Pathways Flagship Program |
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Food and Water Pathways Flagship Program |
