WEBINAR 94th ICREA COLLOQUIUM 'Disrupting Technologies for Future Mobile Communications Systems'
Speakers: ICREA Research Professors Xavier Costa (i2CAT) and Valerio Pruneri (ICFO)
When: 11th of May 2021, 18:00h
Where: Zoom
Abstracts:
Xavier Costa
In this talk we will review emerging disruptive technologies expected to shape future 6G networks. Several topics will be covered comprising, AI-driven automation for industry verticals, O-RAN network disaggregation, smart surfaces and wireless sensing. Early research results will be presented on these topics along with major joint academia-industry efforts in large-scale projects.
Valerio Pruneri
Modern communication relies on display and secure information. I will show some examples of projects for the industry leveraging fundamental principles of optical surfaces and quantum physics.
WEBINAR 93rd ICREA COLLOQUIUM – Why sustainability science endorses fairy tales and policy legends?
Speakers: ICREA Research Professors Mario Giampietro and Giorgos Kallis, both from ICTA-UAB
When: 2nd of March 2021, 18:00h
Where: Zoom
Abstracts:
Mario Giampietro
The Uncomfortable Knowledge Hub (https://uncomfortableknowledge.com/) is one of the results of a 4-year EU project (http://magic-nexus.eu/) having the goal of checking the robustness of the narratives used by the European Commission to frame and solve sustainability problems. The UKH flags the blunder of using “scientific evidence” to inform policy. At the moment the proposed efficient environmentally friendly innovations for a circular bioeconomy, a quick decarbonization of the economy, a more sustainable CAP, are based on policy legends (socio-technical imaginaries).
* Giampietro M & Funtowicz SO 2020, 'From elite folk science to the policy legend of the circular economy', Environmental Science & Policy, vol. 109, pp 64-72. DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2020.04.012
Giorgos Kallis
One of the prevalent policy legends in climate and environmental policy is that green growth is possible – i.e. continuous economic growth is not only compatible with, but also necessary for, sustainability. However, when looking at the latest data on resource use and carbon emissions empirical records disprove the knowledge claim about the possibility of absolute decoupling (separating GDP growth from environmental damage). Addressing sustainability challenges requires going beyond ‘fairy tales of growth’ where technology and markets will solve soon and smoothly all environmental problems. This strategy avoids the need of grappling with the tough social and institutional changes at stake.
* Hickel J & Kallis G 2019 ‘Is Green Growth Possible?’ New Political Economy 25(7576):1-18 DOI: 10.1080/13563467.2019.1598964
The reflection from the colloquium: the social construction of ignorance
How is it possible that young scientists cannot say in public that the circular economy is absurd since it goes against the principle of thermodynamics (complex adaptive systems must be open)? How is it possible that sobering stories – “Houston we have a problem” – trying to identify the real nature of sustainability problems are getting neither attention nor funding?
* Steve Rayner, 2012. Uncomfortable knowledge: the social construction of ignorance in science and environmental policy discourses. Economy and Society 41(1): 107-125.
Disputatio of Barcelona “Cities, Climate and Pandemics: Reflections from Urban Studies and Environmental Economics”
ICREA Research Professor Alexander Fidora (UAB) organizes the Disputatio of Barcelona 2020 for the Academia Europaea and the Barcelona Knowledge Hub.
Jeroen Van den Bergh, ICREA Research Professor at ICTA-UAB will also participate in the event. He will be debating with Professor and arquitect Kathrin Golda-Pangrotz (UIC) about “Cities, Climate and Pandemics: Reflections from Urban Studies and Environmental Economics”.
This Zoom debate will be held on Tuesday, 19 January 2021 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Please click on the link above for further information. Advance registration is required.
WEBINAR 92nd ICREA COLLOQUIUM - The impact of the Covid19 pandemic: economic, social, medical and scientific aspects
Speakers: ICREA Research Professors Massimo Motta, from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), and Christian Brander, from Institut de Recerca de la Sida - IrsiCaixa (IrsiCaixa)
When: 15th of December 2020, 18:00h
Where: VIRTUAL FORMAT
Abstract:
Dr. Christian Brander will discuss briefly the immunological hallmarks of CoV2 infection, the course of the epidemic and review the current status of vaccine development, with a special focus on fast track clinical trial procedure.
On the other hand, Dr. Massimo Motta will explore the short-run and (possible) long-run effects of the covid crisis, from a microeconomic perspective.
