Conference language: English

Registration is requested. To register, please send an email with your name and institution to events(at)spce-hub(dot)org.

Europe and Central Asia are linked by decades of commodity trade but also evolving climate cooperation. Nevertheless, Central Asia plays only a minor role in the German public debate on global climate protection and renewable energies. The global as well as the local energy transition pose major challenges for the region in view of a rapidly growing population, already existing energy shortages, heavy dependence on fossil fuels and climate change.

On two panels, we will discuss with experts - academics and practitioners - from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Germany the energy transition, sustainability, and inclusive development in these countries. The guiding questions are how the energy transition can succeed and to what extent it can also promote economic development and human well-being.

The conference concludes a ten-day study tour visiting different Living Lab projects related to the energy transition in Germany. Living Labs are an innovative and accepted research method in which scientists and practitioners develop solutions for energy transition, sustainability, and social inclusion. The trip was organized by the SPCE Hub and ISoG BW and funded by a grant from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

The event is jointly organised by SPCE Hub, Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), German Association for East European Studies (DGO) and Intersectoral School of Governance BW (ISoG BW).

The conference is embedded within the BMBF-funded network project ‘De:link//Re:link: Local perspectives on transregional processes of entanglements and disentanglements’. The project uses the example of the Belt and Road Initiative initiated by China in 2013 to investigate new spatial configurations and local perspectives on transregional infrastructure projects in Asia, Africa and Europe. The acronym link stands for local insights and new knowledges. ZOiS Project ‘China, the EU and Economic Development in Eastern Europe and Eurasia’ is part of this research network.