Environmental Sustainability in Transatlantic Perspective ― A Multidisciplinary Approach

The task of building more energy-efficient, climate-friendly and sustainable societies is the defining challenge of the 21st century. Striving to become the world's first major renewable energy economy by 2050, Germany is a global front runner in environmental policy and practice. Requiring massive investments in green technologies and infrastructure, Germany's ambitious shift from fossil fuels and nuclear power to renewables requires nothing less than an 'energy revolution.' How and why did Europe's largest economy embrace a challenge that has been compared to the first landing on the moon? What does this transition entail? Is the German experience transferable to other industrialized nations such as the United States? Experts from business, academia, governmental agencies and non-profit think tanks offer multi-disciplinary perspectives on the experiences behind and the challenges ahead. They open up new viewpoints and avenues for shared insight on environmental governance, energy security, technological innovation, green landscape and urban design, as well as on the possibilities for transatlantic partnership and cooperation.

Manuela Achilles is the Associate Director of the Center for German Studies at the University of Virginia, USA and teaches in the History Department and Department of German Studies. She has published at the intersections of history and literature, with a focus on modern Germany.

Dana Elzey is Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Virginia, USA. In addition to teaching and research, he is director of the Rodman Scholars Program and of International Programs for the School of Engineering and Applied Science. His areas of expertise are design thinking, international engineering programs and the processing, properties and mechanics of advanced composites.