Hosted by the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT), the two-day event "Energy and Climate – Technical Solutions for Low CO2 Energy Production" draws together scientists, policy makers and insurance representatives involved in the field of power generation and climate change.
Among the most prominent speakers is Klaus Töpfer, former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program. Töpfer, also a former German environment minister, opened the conference with a forward-looking lecture entitled "Energy and Climate in 2050," a reference to today’s discussion on how to reduce CO2 levels by that year.
AZT Expert Days: The challenge of climate change
Klaus Töpfer, Lutz Cleemann and Axel Theis (from left) at the AZT Expert Days 2007
Global warming: today's most pressing issue
For 10 years a mainstay in Germany for the latest in technological research that affects various sectors of business and society, the Expert Days are attracting increasing attention internationally. This year the event has focused on one of today’s most pressing global issues, global warming. The talks ranged from alternatives like CO2–free hydroelectric power and biomass energy to safety issues like technical risks in the power plants of tomorrow.
"Obviously, the various issues of energy, technology, the environment, economics and politics are closely interrelated and can’t be looked at one-dimensionally," says AZT director Lutz Cleemann. "So we are providing a unique forum to take an interdisciplinary look at the big picture," he continues.
Lutz Cleeman: "Energy, technology, the environment, economics and politics are closely interrelated"
75 years AZT
This year, AZT is also celebrating its 75th anniversary. It can look back on a long tradition of interdisciplinary research stretching from its roots as the Allianz office for materials testing founded in 1932 to its integration into Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, the corporate wing of the Allianz Group, in 2006.
"One of the greatest challenges today is climate change. That’s why I think this conference is so important, and it fits in the AZT tradition of being at the forefront of technological change," says Axel Theis, CEO Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty. "Just as when it was founded, our scientists at AZT are working closely with the private sector and academic researchers, and are further supported by the engineers, underwriters and risks managers from the other areas of Allianz."
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