“2050 Here & Now Scenario Workshop”

Horizon Europe ECOSENS-project.eu has created a workshop transporting participants to the year 2050. Step into the role as member of the Citizens’ Committee for Energy Advice and work with others to develop recommendations for the European Commission on achieving a more balanced energy mix. After reading a 2050 newspaper reporting the extreme weather and “how we got here”, specialist and non-specialist stakeholders will delve into narrative and ethical arguments, explore trade-offs, and critically examine how individual energy choices are influenced by disruptive climate change events.
The 2050 Here & Now Scenario Workshop will be held 9:30 to 12:30, Tuesday 29 August 2023 by pre-registration. Stakeholder participants from all horizons are welcomed.
According to the IPCC, before 2035 the average temperature on Earth is projected to surpass the 1.5 degrees Celsius mark above pre-industrial levels. Climate scientists have warned that the probability of climate extremes increases with every tenth of a degree of warming. Innovation and disruptive climate events will have increasingly significant impact on both daily life and energy sources, with new evolutions in economic, social, and environmental factors driving energy demand. By projecting ourselves now into 2050, can we perceive more clearly what societal responses should be? 
Scenario tools provide a context for exploring a range of possible future outcomes. They create space to exchange ideas and insights on how policies are shaped or changed in the face of new information. Join a range of fellow citizens as well as social science and policy researchers to look into our future and experiment with taking decisions that few imagine today. 
The morning workshop of Tuesday 29 August 2023 will be followed in the afternoon by the ECOSENS Scientific Event. Participants are welcome to stay on to hear the debate and to help appraise the drivers of energy demand.   

• The 3-hour ”2050 Here and Now Scenario Workshop” will convene on the morning of Tuesday 29 August 2023. 
• Participants must pre-register and receive confirmation.
• The workshop will be very interactive, beginning with participants engaging with specially curated stimulus documents followed by group discussions and collaborative tasks.
• The outcome will be a written synthesis of participants’ judgments and insights on how individual energy choices are influenced by plausible future climate disasters. It is not planned to seek consensus, but rather to record different perspectives. Participants will agree to the report before publication by ECOSENS-project.eu.
• Upon confirmed registration, participants will receive a short working paper clarifying workshop details.
• Participants are encouraged to consider attending the ECOSENS Scientific Event immediately after the workshop (by pre-registration via workshops@ecosens-project.eu).
• To facilitate participation, a limited number of grants for travel within Europe and local stay will be offered.
• The ECOSENS events are followed by the RICOMET 2023 Conference in which some participants may wish to enroll (separately).

Target audience: 
This workshop is designed for all stakeholders committed to understanding the consequences of climate change and the factors shaping sustainable energy choices.
Pre-register for the workshop via our event page. Approximately 12 persons will be selected to participate, representing a large range of stakeholders.
Practical details: 
The workshop will be held in person at Tabloo, the visitor and meeting centre located in Dessel, Belgium. 
Those traveling should plan to spend the night of Monday 28 August in Dessel or nearby Mol. Those also attending the afternoon ECOSENS Scientific Event should stay a second night.
The working language is English. 
Organized and moderated by: 
Marc Poumadère & Aylin Erden, Institut Symlog (France) 
Contact: 
workshops@ecosens-project.eu