Global Politics in Flames: Is the End of Fossil Fuels Near?
Panel discussion19.30-22.00
Save the Date
all ages welcome
in German/in English
A Panel discussion with Luis Alvaro Pardo, Susanne Götze, Tonny Noshwin, Karin Zennig and Linda Schneider.
The U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran are a stark reminder that dependence on fossil fuels does not create security: it fuels conflicts, destabilizes markets, and drives up energy prices worldwide. The consequences include severe supply shortages, particularly in the Global South, but their effects have long been felt here as well.
At the same time, an international movement is gaining momentum. At the end of April, Colombia will host the first conference dedicated to phasing out fossil fuels, bringing together an "alliance of the willing" to agree on concrete steps toward a post-fossil era.
Europe faces a dual challenge: escalating climate disasters on one hand, and a fragile energy supply amid compounding geopolitical crises – from Ukraine to the Middle East – on the other. Yet political responses in Germany and across Europe continue to lean on fossil fuels and high-risk technologies such as fracking and nuclear power.
The alternative is clear: renewable energy is both climate-friendly and crisis-resilient. The sun and wind cannot be sanctioned, blockaded, or weaponized.
So how do we achieve an energy transition that is not only ecologically sound, but also socially just – one that responds to geopolitical upheaval without fueling the political shift to the right?
We want to explore these questions together. This event brings together voices from politics and grassroots movements to develop concrete approaches for a sustainable energy future.
Photograph by Marvin Systermans from the Series Canary in a Garden.