2010 Global Sustainability Summer School-Debates

2010 Global Sustainability Summer School Home U.S. Visa Requirements Travel Logistics Faculty Participants Schedule Lectures Slides Supplemental Readings Suggested By Participants Tutorials Debates Op-Ed Topics After Hours Photos Blog Projects & Working Groups Research Agendas

Please use this page to organize debate teams and material.

Main Topics

Nuclear Energy Innovation vs. changing Consumption/Behavior

Suggested Topics Included:

– What is most important problem to deal with: emphasis on climate change versus inequality versus ...?

– Cap and trade versus carbon tax?

– Impact * Population of People on Earth *Affluence * Technology (what to lower?)

∗ Lowering consumption/changing lifestyle/cultural values versus technology?

∗ How much emphasis on population control?

– Does religion/religious institutions helpful or hurtful towards achieving sustainability?

∗ Does nation-state system play a positive or negative role on achieving sustainability?

– Is education primary in changing behavior?

– Is UNFCCC most effective way to bring about international climate policy versus focusing on G20 or smaller?

∗ Is world government feasible?

– Should developing countries have binding targets? Should there be cost-mitigation or historical costs imposed?

– Is public sector too stupid or are scientist too dumb?

– Are there intrinsic limits to forecasting?

– Can we overcome global tragedy of the commons?

– Should biofuels play a larger role?

– Should GM play a larger role?

– Is electrification requried for a high standard or living?

– Can United States / developed countries become energy independent without a significant increase in nuclear energy?

– Is sustained growth conceivable?

– Bottom up or top down method for climate change?

– Globalization: good versus bad?

– Is growth the only possible goal for society?

– Is sustainability possible? Under the current democratic system?

– Should individual nations be allowed to support geoengineering projects that might have global implications?

– Is it possible to solve global problems?

– Do we prepare for a Plan B?

– Are market mechanisms essential?

– Decentralized versus centralized energy?

– Mitigation versus adaptation?

– Is it all futile?

– How much should we try to control?

– Is sustainability static?

– Is the world our garden? Is there wilderness?

– Do we need to give up flying?

– Should there be an allocation of ecological footprint?

– Is sustainability an idealology?

- Role of local food in a global economy?