Julian M Allwood, Professor of Engineering and the Environment at the University of Cambridge, England, will open the lecture series on Tuesday 15 March 2016 in the PZH’s lecture hall. Allwood is exploring material and energy efficiency “with both eyes open“, analyzing global and regional scenarios of energy, water, land and resource futures.
On Monday 2 May 2016, the PZH welcomes the economist Niko Paech, the second invited lecturer. Paech is adjunct Professor of Production and Environment at the University of Oldenburg. He is a well-known originator of "degrowth" – the concept of a post-growth economy. Its central idea claims that the logic of growth theory, the basis for our current lifestyle and economy, will destroy it in the foreseeable future.
The new lecture series is addressed to the PZH staff. Professor Ludger Overmeyer, PZH Board Speaker, explains: “We want to provide a forum to deal with fundamental questions beyond the often tight schedules of daily research activities. The challenges of the future require interdisciplinary solutions. For this reason, we must learn more than ever to look at them through the eyes of other disciplines.“