The event in Essen was entitled: “Digitization – Global! Sustainable? Opportunities and Risks of a Megatrend for our Society.”
Under buzzwords such as Industry 4.0, Internet of Things, Smart Cities, Big Data or Smart Mobility, fundamental changes are emerging that affect many areas of our lives. The world is becoming more connected and smarter, but at the same time more decentralized and in many cases more efficient.
This raises the question: Is it also possible to achieve the often postulated increase in energy and resource efficiency, or do rebound effects compensate for this development? What contribution can digitization make to sustainable development? What framework conditions do we need to create for this?
Our invitation was accepted by high-profile guests as keynote speakers and discussants, including Prof. Dr. Rainer Grießhammer (Öko-Institut e.V., winner of the German Environmental Award), Prof. Dr. Jorge Groß (Otto Friedrich University Bamberg), Dr. Rüdiger Grube (Deutsche Bahn AG), Hildegard Müller (BDEW), Prof. Dr. Stephan Rammler (HBK Braunschweig, Head of the Institute for Transportation Design), Sarah Seidemann (BDI) and Prof. Dr. Marion A. Weissenberger-Eibl (Head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research).
They presented how science and industry – above all such important sectors as energy and mobility – assess the opportunities and risks of this megatrend.
The event was moderated by Klemens Kindermann, head of the business editorial department of Deutschlandfunk.
At Youtube: 1/5 – DBU Symposium “Digitalization – Global!Sustainable?”
You can view our picture gallery on flickr: