CfP: From Fossil to Renewable Energies?

From Fossil to Renewable Energies? Energy Regimes, the Environment and International Relations, 1970s to Today

International Conference, Bologna, May 2014

We invite to submit proposals for a one-day workshop on “from Fossil to Renewable Energies? Energy Regimes, the Environment and International Relations, 1970s to Today”.

The Workshop will take place in Bologna in May 2014 (exact date and location to be confirmed), and will be divided in two panels, one focused on the impact of energy issues on international relations and the other devoted to studies on environmental history.

At the onset of the 21st century both the production and the consumption of energy relies primarily on fossil sources. As for the next few decades, the scenario of World Energy Outlook 2010 of the International Energy Agency envisages a future dominated by fossil fuels. According the International Energy Agency, however, sustainable technologies are bound to become «the second most important source for the generation of electricity after coal».

Energy sources represent a highly relevant subject both in environmental history and in the history of international relations. From nuclear power to the consequences of scarcity of sources and volatility of prices, from environmental diplomacy to questions of global governance, energy issues have (and have had) relevant geopolitical and environmental implications.

The conference intends to discuss new, original scholarship in environmental history and in international history that bridges traditional disciplinary boundaries and divisions.

In particular, we seek individual papers that engage the following broader issues:

• The environmental impact, and externalities caused by energy sources;
• the existing relationships between the development of renewable energies and the birth of civil committees opposed to the realization of wind farms and solar plants;
• the existing relationship between the use of fossil fuels and the deterioration of the urban environment;
• the geopolitical implications of the transformation of energy policies;
• the role of social movements and the connection between traditional forms of protest and new environmental activism.

Proposals should consist of a 400-word abstract of the proposed paper and a one-page CV. All proposals should be submitted individually to Federico Paolini (University of Naples II): federico.paolini@unina2.it.

Deadline for submission is 1 October 2013. Selected participants will be notified by 1 December 2013.

Accepted papers will be pre-circulated to registered attendees. The organizers will cover living expenses and accommodation for two nights; depending on funding, we count to be able to contribute also to travel expenses.

If you have any questions, please contact: federico.paolini@unina2.it.

Workshop selection committee
Mario Del Pero (Institut d’Études Politiques, Paris)
Giuliano Garavini (Università di Padova)
Federico Paolini (Università di Napoli, II)