Social Systems and Energy: What if technology can’t get us there? (Free Brown Bag lunch) October 2, 2009

Speaker: Irv Salmeen, Center for the Study of Complex Systems, University of Michigan

Irv is co-developer of a new undergraduate class on Social-systems and Energy.

The course explores connections between technology and social/cultural problems inherent in the emergence of energy futures. The course examines the cultural and technological history of energy-systems, such as the electricity grid and transportation networks, viewed within a complex-systems framework. The seminar will pose the challenge: what opportunities for social/cultural innovation may emerge that will complement or substitute for “alternative energy technologies.” The essential question is what do we do if, in practice, our trust in technological innovation falls short of fulfilling what is needed in the next few decades to align energy demand growth with the need to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel combustion.

Official Website: http://workantileexchange.com/upcoming.html