THE FIRST RDI INTERNATIONAL INVITED LECTURE SERIES
RDI hosted three international invited lectures in September 2014. Here's a breakdown of each lecture:
International Invited Lecture #1:
On September 8th, 2014, RDI featured its first international invited lecture titled "The Potential and Opportunities in Wind Energy Development." Dr. Giles Stacey, representing the European Commission on Energy, delivered this lecture. Dr. Stacey's presentation covered several key areas, including the general performance and productivity of wind turbines, global wind energy production, and specific cases of wind energy utilization in India and Indonesia. He emphasized that wind energy stands as the second-highest installed energy source globally, following natural gas. Dr. Stacey pointed out that site characteristics play a pivotal role in determining suitable locations for wind farms. Unfortunately, Indonesia's geographical positioning was deemed less favorable for wind farm development. He further highlighted that China and India led the way in wind energy development in Asia, accounting for over 90% of the region's progress. Despite Indonesia's wind limitations, some areas, such as Sumba Island, exhibited potential for harnessing wind energy.
International Invited Lecture #2:
The second international lecture took place on September 10th, 2014, featuring Dr. Joy Clancy from the University of Twente in the Netherlands. Her lecture, titled "Understanding and Potential in Biofuels Development," explored various aspects of the biofuel industry. Dr. Clancy commenced her presentation by addressing the misunderstanding surrounding the relationship between biofuels and food security. She delved into the social and environmental challenges associated with biofuel production chains, particularly in rural regions. Dr. Clancy noted the significant increase in global hunger since 2007, despite record-high food production. Data indicated a correlation between rising biofuel production and increased food prices, resulting in food insecurity for economically disadvantaged populations. Dr. Clancy underscored that while biofuels were considered a factor in food price hikes, there was no empirical evidence to suggest that biofuel production in developing countries displaced food production. She also highlighted social issues such as land consolidation, where small-scale farmers were selling their land due to changing urban aspirations. Environmental concerns included deforestation, particularly in tropical rainforests like those in Indonesia. However, Dr. Clancy recognized the potential for biofuels to address rural poverty, offering benefits such as income generation and improved local environmental conditions, particularly through small-scale biofuel initiatives.
International Invited Lecture #3:
The third international lecture occurred on September 16th, 2014, featuring Dr. Fabrice Renaud from UNU-EHS Bonn, Germany. Dr. Renaud presented on the role of ecosystems in Disaster Risk Management (DRM). He advocated for ecosystem management as a well-tested solution for sustainable development that aligns with both disaster and climate change challenges. Dr. Renaud highlighted that ecosystem-based approaches could address all elements of the disaster risk equation by mitigating hazards, reducing exposure, decreasing vulnerabilities, and enhancing the resilience of exposed communities. Despite several successful examples, the adoption of ecosystem-based DRM approaches had been slow for several reasons. Firstly, ecosystem management was sometimes viewed as separate from DRM solutions, as the environmental and disaster management communities often worked independently. Secondly, the contribution of ecosystem-based DRM was underestimated compared to engineered solutions, resulting in inadequate budget allocations. Lastly, there was limited interaction between science and policy concerning ecosystem-based DRM, leading to unclear and occasionally conflicting scientific information regarding the role of ecosystems in DRM.
