A Global Summit Series

Throughout 2009, Energy Crossroads will highlight the need and opportunity for clean, prosperous, and secure energy as an integral component to local, national, and international climate discussions with a series of events held at Energy Crossroads chapters in universities throughout the world.

Our Opportunity

Each region of the world experiences the energy challenges differently. While some countries are struggling with geopolitical and economical aspects of rising prices on fossil fuels, others are struggling with securing energy supply for their region while adapting to a changing climate.

This is not at least true for the coming generation of decision-makers. However, we all see clean energy and the clean economy that comes with it as an opportunity to usher in a cleaner, more prosperous and secure future for us and future generations.

Therefore, throughout 2009, Energy Crossroads chapters worldwide will host a series of events to engage their communities by highlighting opportunities in a clean energy economy.

This is our opportunity - an opportunity to act for a clean yet prosperous and secure energy future!

While these events are linked at the highest level with a common theme of “opportunity” the format and the messages of the summits will be tailored by region to fit their local context.

The following is a tentative schedule for the Series as proposed by each chapter of Energy Crossroads:

EC Sweden will host a pre-Summit in the run-up to the Kick-off of the Global Summits Series in March in Copenhagen. The Swedish summit will help hundreds of Swedish students to better understand the energy challenges. Further, a selection of students will meet prominent Swedish politicians to discuss and highlight the Swedish opportunities in the coming UN Climate Negotiations.

Students from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi will meet to form EC East Africa and to discuss energy challenges and opportunities of the region. This new coaltion of energy and climate engaged East African youth will work together to address the challenges and to bring a united voice to the global community. The results from this summit will be brought to the Copenhagen Summit by an East African representative

EC Denmark hosted an interactive pan-European Summit, where university students from 45 countries converged to represent European countries and stakeholders, from both macro and micro perspectives, and negotiated in broad terms over how to reach a clean, prosperous and secure energy future in Europe. This negotiation process gave each of the participants an unique insight into this complicated process, and will produce a blueprint outlining how the students were able to come to their agreement

EC Stanford plans to host a day of events featuring thought-leading speakers and workshops for student engagement and deeper conversations on the topics covered. As in years past, a technology expo and career fair will accompany the speakers and workshops.

EC China will host the first student conference of its kind in collaboration with three student organizations: Tsinghua Student Green Association, CDM club of Peking University and CYCAN (China Youth Climate Action Network). Unlike other Climate Change conferences in China, this conference will be designed to introduce into the Chinese discourse the strong link between Energy and Climate Change.

EC India will host its inaugural large student conference aimed at engaging students from all academic backgrounds in sustainable development and clean energy opportunities. For the first time they will convene together students both from the technical fields studying at the country’s IITs as well as those studying in complementary business and policy fields at Management and Law/Policy focused institutions. EC India will also partner with The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) network to bring in leaders from the Venture Capital and entrepreneurial communities in India.

Energy Carta (EC Singapore), following on a very successful Asian Youth Energy Summit 2008, will, under new leadership, aim to hold an equally successful AYES 2009, bringing together students from the National University of Singapore and around Asia to hear industry, policy, and research experts discuss the clean energy future for Singapore and Asia.

Organizers

Students around the world are the driving and unifying force behind the Energy Crossroads Global Summit Series. We aim to be the premier event planned for and organized by students leading to the UN Climate Summit and hope that other student groups will join us in a unified call to the nations for serious commitments to clean energy.

Who will participate?

While our primary audience is students, we have seen that community members, faculty, policymakers, and business leaders that have participated in our events have greatly benefited from the magic of bringing people together who are working to advance clean energy from different angles. At Stanford, where Energy Crossroads began, environmental activists have found allies in the Silicon Valley elite; democracy and security experts have been exposed to the technological and business opportunities that are key to solving the instability and political stalemates caused by oil dependency. Each summit provides a forum for stakeholders and experts to engage bright and visionary minds, young and old alike, to confront the global energy challenge. We hope the 2009 Series sparks universities and their communities around the world to view this energy crossroads as the opportunity to build a clean, prosperous, and secure energy future.

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