A Lot of Hot Air: an Energy Square Debate

A live debate between The Economist, Scottish Government, industry and key opinion-leaders.

Scotland’s Parliament recently passed the most ambitious climate change legislation of any industrialised nation, targeting a 42% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. All very laudable, but missing the point completely.

Given the country’s miniscule contribution to global CO2 emissions and, as long as China and India continue to roll out coal-fired power stations, Scotland’s green credentials look like an irrelevance. Is Scotland missing a trick by focusing relentlessly on its emission levels? Should the country instead focus on developing low-carbon technologies which can be exported worldwide and which will really help the economy?  Or does the success of one depend on the other?

The Economist will be bringing together politicians, business leaders, academics and pressure groups to debate the awkward question: what difference to global warming can Scotland make anyway? Questions for debate will include:

• Should Scotland forget about oil, setting a global example by definitively moving away from hydrocarbons?
• Do we really need to be investing in wind, hydro-electric, bio-energy, carbon capture and storage, wave and tidal schemes?
• The (glowing) elephant in the room—where does nuclear power fit in all of this?
• Does Government have a clue how to build a world-class renewables industry?
• With Scotland’s unique resources, should it create businesses to export energy or air to capture other people’s carbon, rather than just meet its internal needs?

There is no charge to attend this debate. Attendance is open to senior individuals from government and politics, NGOs or academic institutions, and senior executives from relevant companies. We welcome applications for places from individuals matching this criteria.