The International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP) is hosting Energy, Sustainability and Societal Change, its 2nd annual Science Policy Dialogue. This workshop will open a dialogue among leading scholars in the field of energy, high-level government officials from around the world, prominent journalists, members of the business community and other stakeholders on the relationship between energy requirements, resources, security and the human behavioural patterns needed to move societies globally towards sustainability.

From the 19th to the 20th of June, 2008, a truly international group of approximately 40 experts will convene in Santa Barbara, California, to engage in a collaborative exploration of the issues related to energy, prompting a fruitful dialogue about this topic of mounting global importance. Held at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, Energy, Sustainability and Societal Change will be hosted by Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Dean of the Bren School and member of the IHDP Scientific Committee, and co-organised by Oran R. Young, Co-Director of the Bren School’s Programme on Governance for Sustainable Development and IHDP Chair.

Energy is crucial for individual well-being and societal prosperity, though access to energy is often not equally distributed and energy systems are often not sustainable. The Energy, Sustainability and Societal Change workshop will showcase ground-breaking science in this regard, inform decision makers, and, in return, obtain thought-provoking responses during the dialogue for future research. The IHDP Science Policy Workshop Series provides a productive environment to discuss with and to learn from each other. Hence, much time will be devoted to exchanging ideas and interacting with the different groups of participants with the aim of building new understandings and partnerships. The Energy, Sustainability and Societal Change workshop will build upon current public awareness about this theme and the far-reaching expertise of IHDP’s network and partner organisations, particularly focusing on the human dimensions of energy. Issues such as the behavioural patterns and lifestyles that lead to either efficient or inefficient energy uses, the barriers to cleaner and more efficient energy production and potential energy-related conflicts will be explored. Contributions provided by the participants on various energy sub-themes, both from science and practice, should serve not only to motivate analysis from a variety of angles but also to deconstruct widespread prejudices and myths related to energy. The workshop aims to shed a different light on well-known phenomena, paving the way for new understandings and innovative solutions while explicitly addressing the implementation gap of already existing technological or conducive policy options.