"Integrated approaches to energy transition and climate resilient futures: the role of bioenergy" - October 31, 2024, Thursday, 3:00 pm, Pavilhão de Mecânica II, amphitheatre AM

Date: October 31, 2024, Thursday
Time: 3:00 pm
Place: Pavilhão de Mecânica II, amphitheatre AM

• Speaker: Joana Portugal Pereira (Scientific Area of Environment and Energy of DEM/IST; IN+ Centre for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research)

• Title: "Integrated approaches to energy transition and climate resilient futures: the role of bioenergy"

• Abstract:

Let's get real: climate change is not a distant threat; it is already affecting every corner of our planet and directly impacting our lives. Ignoring it is like walking blindly into an uncertain future. However, changing our technological strategies and the way energy is consumed is easier said than done. Our societies are deeply dependent on fossil fuels, whose influence extends deeply into 'hard-to-decarbonise' sectors, including aviation and maritime transport, agriculture, and heavy industry.
In this Seminar, we will explore future scenarios of global warming and mitigation pathways aligned with the Paris Agreement's temperature goals. Specifically, we will examine integrated approaches that can drive the transition to more sustainable energy sources and enhance our resilience in the face of climate change. Our focus will be on the role of advanced bioenergy chains in reducing dependence on fossil fuels, as well as carbon dioxide removal strategies to offset residual emissions. Finally, we will discuss methodological aspects of integrated assessment, considering techno-economic factors and potential conflicts with other Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

• Short Biographic Note:

Joana Portugal Pereira is an Assistant Professor in the Scientific Area of Environment and Energy  of the Department of Mechanical Engineering (DEM) at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST). With over 13 years of experience as an independent researcher, Joana Portugal Pereira has made significant contributions to global environmental assessments, serving as a lead author and consultant for reports such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Cycle, the UN Environment Programme's Seventh Global Environmental Outlook (GEO7), and the UNEP Emissions Gap Report. She played a pivotal role in coordinating influential IPCC Special Reports on Global Warming of 1.5°C pathways and Climate Change and Land as a Senior Scientist in the IPCC Working Group III on Mitigation of Climate Change.
Her expertise lies in energy and land-based innovations for environmental mitigation and climate change adaptation. Joana Portugal Pereira specialised in developing environmental modelling tools to assess economic and environmental co-benefits in low-carbon energy and food systems portfolios. Joana Portugal Pereira's extensive international collaborations span the Asia-Pacific and Latin America and Caribbean regions, working with organisations such as the United Nations, Asian Development Bank, the European Union, and UK government agencies. She serves as an Associated Editor for the Elsevier Environmental Science and Policy Journal and is a member of the editorial boards of the Elsevier Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition and Cleaner Environmental Systems Journals. Since 2023, she has been an Affiliated Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.
Joana Portugal Pereira holds a PhD in Urban Engineering from The University of Tokyo (2011), with a focus on life cycle assessment modelling of alternative fuels, and a pre-Bologna Bachelor degree (Portuguese: Licenciatura) in Environmental Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon (2006).

This is another Seminar of the “Seminars@DEM” cycle.
Next Seminar, November 15, 2024, Friday, 3:00 pm.