Panel debate!

"Images of the future" 

Course participants have been presented with a variety of images of the future. This lecture won't be a lecture at all, but rather a discussion between invited guests who are expected to have widely differing ideas and opinions about the future, and about the future of sustainability. Can we imagine a future sustainable society? What would it look like? What are our chances and what is our best course of action in attempting to reach that future? Furthermore, what is the role of ICT and media in relation to these questions and issues? 

The debate will be moderated by Elina Eriksson and Daniel Pargman will join the panelists on the stage. His main contribution will be to connect questions by students and answers by panelists to previous parts of the course.

Invited panelists:

John Howchin is Secretary General of the Ethical Council for the First, Second, Third and Fourth Swedish national pension funds. He is in charge of strategy, research and coordination of corporate engagement of the Council. John is also a member of the asset management committee at Mistra, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research. John has worked with socially responsible investments and corporate social responsibility since 1998. Prior to joining the Ethical Council he worked as senior analyst at Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) in Oslo, Norway, where he was in charge of the environmental strategy. Previous positions include five years at GES Investment Services as deputy CEO and Head of research. He also co-founded Green Index who produced the Folksam climate change index, the first of its kind when released in 2000 and has also worked with sustainability management at the Swedish/Swiss company ABB. John holds a BSc in environmental science and human ecology at Goteborg University.

Malin Forsgren is a Senior Advisor at the consultancy firm 2050 as well as head of Cleantech Östergötland, a cluster initiative for cleantech companies in eastern Sweden. As a consultant, Malin supports clients in business development processes with a focus on increasing profitability by integrating sustainability into their business decisions. Malin has over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry and in the non-profit sector. During the era when telecommunications developed from being a land-line basic service to a mobile service that was completely integrated in the daily lives of everybody, Malin held international positions within product management, business development, sales and marketing at Ericsson. Heavily engaged with childrens' rights, Malin also worked for Plan International and as the Secretary-General, built up Operation Smile in Sweden (a medical relief organization that helps children born with cleft lip and cleft palate). Working one season in Antarctica awakened Malin’s passion for environmental issues.

Mikael Höök is an Associate Professor in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development at Uppsala University, Sweden, where he leads the research group Global Energy Systems. He has a PhD with specialization in global energy resources. His research interests include quantitative modelling of energy systems, fossil fuel production, field-by-field analysis, and long-term supply of natural resources. He is also very interested in wider issues like resource depletion, energy security, and climate impacts. Currently, he leads several research projects focused on global oil supply outlooks and resource supply for energy transitions. He is also a lifetime member of International Association of Mathematical Geology/Geosciences (IAMG).