04 June 2024 | 06:15-07:45, p.m | Lecture Hall VII, Main Building, University of Bonn

The oceans play a particularly important role in energy production. Oil and gas have been extracted from the seabed of the North Sea since the 1960s. Currently, 80% of the hydrocarbons produced in the EU come from offshore fields. In addition, gas and LNG are imported from marine sources. While governments and industry communicate the phase-out of fossil fuels, new production projects have been approved and established in the North Sea, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The renewed rush for marine fossil resources is partly due to the changed geopolitical situation in Europe. Oceans are also key areas for the expansion of renewable energy sources. Based on the European and German expansion targets for wind energy in the North Sea and other visions for the future energy infrastructure at sea, the lecture will shed light on the political and practical challenges associated with these plans and visions. What specific conflicts of interest arise between marine protection, climate protection and energy security? And how can these possibly be resolved?

Lecture

Dr. Irit Ittner, Research Associate, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Bonn

Questions & Answers