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S4F Newsletter January 2023
Dear supporter of Scientists4Future-Twente,
Welcome to the January-2023 edition of the S4F-Twente Newsletter. We are happy that you are supporting us. Reach out to people that share your concerns: meet us in one of the activities that are described here or forward this Newsletter to others!
Contents of this newsletter:
• What happens at the UT?
• Fireside chats (online)
• S4F-NL webinars
• A book worth reading
• Articles worth reading
• Herenboeren Twente
• Symposium of the HTHT CBL ICR&TIST minor
• S4F-Twente lunch meetings
• Calendar
What happens at the UT?
- UT scientists speak out: UToday on 24 Nov reported that “Although the form varies, more and more UT scientists are speaking out more actively and in a more activist way on climate issues.”
- UT Studium Generale: You can watch“The future of our climate”, by prof. Maarten van Aalst, Coordinating Lead Author for the IPCC (29 Nov).
- Climate Crisis Coalition: this January, the Executive Board invited Climate Crisis Coalition, a collective of UT-related organizations fighting for more climate action. UT on LinkedIn: “Contributing to and accelerating solutions for climate issues is high on UT’s agenda. This dialogue is part of a series (…) to engage and discuss the steps forward on this theme.”
- UT Climate Center: UToday, on 23 Jan, described the plans for a UT Climate Centre. The advice to write up a proposal to join forces at the UT came from the Shaping Expert Group (SEG) Sustainability. Albert van den Berg, Cheryl de Boer, and Miriam Luizink wrote down their idea, had the Strategic Council evaluate them, and are now preparing a board decision about a climate center to bring together all UT research and education focusing on climate change. [Text from U-Today, with minor edits]
- Green Hub Twente: “Green talks” are hosted. This is a podcast series to voice the opinions of UT researchers. Find the first two episodes here: “Mobilisation for change” (with Jurriaan Schmitz, EEMCS), related to SDG#13, Climate Action, and “Energy crisis” (with Nando Tolboom, S&T), related to SDG#7, Affordable and clean energy.
- Talking sustainability: Sustainability dialogue (part 1) on Wednesday 8 February, 16:30-18:00 at Ideate, DesignLab (please register here). “Since sustainability and the climate crisis are evidently important topics for us all, the Executive Board, together with DesignLab, University Innovation Fellows, and Green Hub Twente, would like to hear your opinions, ideas, and experiences concerning them.” Scientists4Future-Twente will also pitch at this dialogue.
- Campus magazine: Brechje Marechal, Environment & Sustainability Policy Officer at the UT, was interviewed in the December edition: “We need to allow people at the UT to commit time to sustainability. Because we can’t adjust or lower our ambitions, not with the current state of the world. We are a university. If we can’t do it, who can?”
- S4F sustainability lunch walk: Wednesday, 15 Feb 2023, 12.00-14.00 (start is in front of Spiegel building). The walk will be guided by Brechje Marechal. Please inform Lena Heinrich if you wish to join.
Fireside chats (online)
About once a month, we organize a fireside chat, an informal online meeting of supporters of S4F-Twente. We discuss current topics. You are welcome to join! The next fireside chats are on 22 February, about “Behaviour change”, introduced by Alexey Voinov, and on 22 March, from 20:30-22:00 (online).
In the previous fireside chat of 25 January, we discussed the agenda for the coming months, plans for a symposium with local stakeholders, and the visibility of a group of scientists that proclaims “alternative facts” when it comes to climate change.
In the fireside chat of 23 November, we discussed water management in the Netherlands and the Twente area. Whereas most of the attention is focused on the energy transition, experts on water management Dr. Yijian Zeng and Caroline Bers gave a convincing pitch on the topic, which is highly complex and relevant, especially for the region of Twente. The fireside chat continued as a Q&A for the non-expert participants, including input from Alexey Voinov. One aspect that was highlighted is that with rising temperatures, city planners should be very aware of the implications of their choices on the liveability of neighborhoods. Enschede already suffers from quite extreme temperatures on hot days. All attendants agreed, and a follow-up session with a proper tutorial introduction will be organized.
S4F-NL webinars
S4F-NL hosts a series of webinars. You can still watch the S4F-NL webinars on degrowth and other topics; on 8 December, a panel discussion about “A degrowth agenda for the Netherlands” was held, as a fourth episode about degrowth (we reported about the first three episodes in our previous newsletters).
On 23 January, the topic was “Putting science communication into action: the Dutch peat convenant.” Speaker was Philipp Gramlich (Nederland turfvrij); in case you missed it, you can still watch it. The next webinar is not yet planned, so keep an eye on the S4F-NL website if you’re interested.
A book worth reading
The book “Embrace chaos” by Dutch professor Jan Rotmans is very interesting. It describes transition processes. Jan Rotmans is a professor Transition and sustainability at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. The book is very intriguing and gives insights into our changing world. It gives a hopeful perspective. A nice description of the book is available online.
Articles worth reading
On 17 December 2022, The Guardian wrote: “Starting next July, Connecticut will become one of the first states in America to mandate climate change studies across its public schools as part of its science curriculum. (…) The requirement follows in the footsteps of New Jersey, which in 2020 became the first state to mandate climate change education. Currently, nearly 90% of public schools across Connecticut include climate change studies in their curriculums. However, by mandating it as part of state law from grades 5 to 12, climate education will effectively become protected from budget cuts and climate-denying political views at a time when education in the US has become a serious culture war battleground.”
In Nature Physics, under Comment, we find “The benefits of Noble prizes” (Nov 2022), where authors Vollmer et al. state that “There is an urgent need to rethink the Nobel Prize in Physics in the light of the climate crisis. As expressed by its founder, the award should acknowledge research that addresses pressing challenges for humanity.” Worth the read!
Another article, in PLOS Climate, Sept 2022, with the title “Concerned yet polluting: A survey on French research personnel and climate change”, is also worth reading. “The survey highlights three results: first, an acute awareness of environmental and climate issues widely shared by members of the scientific community; second, a willingness to implement changes; and third, a clear gap between these attitudes and practices that still emit large amounts of greenhouse gases. This raises the question of the role of research institutions, whose support is required to implement profound reforms in the organization of research activities.”
Herenboeren Twente
Since 2015, over a dozen so-called Herenboeren farming cooperations have been established across the Netherlands. These farms aim to operate fully circularly and provide a direct supply of food to the cooperation owners, typically 200 households per farm. One such farm is currently being started just south of Enschede at the Usseler Es. There is still room for several participants, but the enrollment goes very fast since December, so be quick if you want to join. The Twente division of Herenboeren aims to set up several more farms, one in the triangle Hengelo-Borne-Delden, one near Almelo, and one north of Enschede. You will find a lot more information here in Dutch, or contact them if you would prefer information in English.
Symposium of the HTHT CBL ICR&TIST minor
You are kindly invited to the symposium of the new HTHT CBL minor Intelligence, Creativity, and Responsible Technological Innovations in Societal Transformations (ICR&TIST) on Thursday 2 February 13:30 – 17:30 (including drinks) in the DesignLab. Students will share their insights to inspire new ways of thinking and understanding the energy transition. Jennifer Herek chairs the symposium. Program:
13:30-13:40 Introduction to the symposium
13:40-14:20 Four student presentations of their projects
14:20-14:35 Break and discussions with students
14:35-15:25 Five student presentations of their projects
15:25-15:35 Mieke Boon – Integration of the project; handover to RES (Regional Energy Strategy Twente).
15:35-15:50 Break, and discussions with students
15:50-16:30 Keynote lecture by prof.dr.ir. Andy van den Dobbelsteen (TUDelft, Climate Design & Sustainability)
16:30-16:35 Closing words by prof.dr. Jennifer Herek (Dean TNW)
16:35-17:30 Drinks
S4F-Twente lunch meetings
Every first Monday and third Friday of the month at 12:30, anyone interested in S4F, staff or student, is welcome to join us for lunch in the Waaier canteen. This is an informal meeting where you can exchange ideas and concerns and meet like-minded people.
During recent meetings, we discussed the “Herenboeren Twente” initiative (see earlier in this newsletter for more information), and sustainability education at the UT. Feel free to join us in one of the next informal lunch meetings (see Calendar below for dates); you can recognize us by a paper with the stripes of this newsletter.
Calendar
| Date, time | Event | Location |
| Thursday 2 February 2023, 13:30-17:30 | Symposium of HTHT CBL ICR&TIST minor | DesignLab |
| Monday 6 February 2023, 12:30-13:30 | S4F-Twente lunch meeting | Waaier canteen |
| Wednesday 8 February 2023, 16:30-18:00 | Talking sustainability: Sustainability dialogue (part 1) | Ideate, DesignLab (register here). |
| Wednesday, 15 February 2023, 12.00-14.00 | S4F sustainability lunch walk | Start in front of Spiegel building; please inform Lena if you wish to join |
| Friday 17 February 2023, 12:30-13:30 | S4F-Twente lunch meeting | Waaier canteen |
| Tuesday 21 February 2023, 19:30-21:00 | Studium Generale: Vegan food (in Dutch) | Vrijhof – Amphitheater |
| Wednesday 22 February 2023, 20:30-22:00 | Fireside chat, topic “Behaviour change” | online |
| Wednesday 1 March 2023, 12:45 | Colloquium at IMS-S&T by Ton van Ulden (CEO), Sustainable Durable Systems B.V. | Carré, please register |
| Monday 6 March 2023, 12:30-13:30 | S4F-Twente lunch meeting | Waaier canteen |
| Friday 17 March 2023, 12:30-13:30 | S4F-Twente lunch meeting | Waaier canteen |
| Wednesday 22 March 2023, 20:30-22:00 | Fireside chat, topic to be announced | online |
Interesting links
- Follow us on Twitter
- Scientists4Future-NL and their Newsletters
- GreenHub Twente and their Newsletters
We hope to see you soon through one of the above opportunities,
the S4F-Twente newsletter team – Leonie Krab, Chris Baeumer, Yuri Engelhardt, Lena Heinrich, Evert Houwman, Gertjan Koster, Theo van der Meer, Nasim Rezaei, Jurriaan Schmitz, Alexey Voinov –
Scientists4Future–Twente – Coalition of concerned scientists
S4F Newsletter November 2022
Dear supporter of Scientists4Future-Twente,
Welcome to the November 2022 edition of the S4F-Twente Newsletter. We are happy that you are supporting us. Reach out to people that share your concerns: meet us in one of the activities that are described here or forward this Newsletter to others!
Contents of this newsletter:
• Fireside chats (online)
• UNFCCC COP27
• S4F-NL webinars
• Open Letter to the Executive Board: Follow up
• Contacts between S4F and regional politicians
• An article worth reading
• Too good to go app
• Documentary: The Scientist’s Warning
• Qua Art, Qua Science: Light as a fuel
• Students for Future Enschede: Climate march
• Energy challenge competition
• A book worth reading: “Earth for all”, A survival guide for humanity
• In Commemoration of Herman Daly
• Symposium of the HTHT CBL ICR&TIST minor
• A new report World Scientists Warning of a Climate Emergency 2022
• Outreach of S4F-Twente
• Calendar
Fireside chats (online)
About once a month, we organize a fireside chat, an informal meeting of supporters of S4F-Twente. We discuss actual topics. You are welcome to join!
The fireside chat of 14 September dealt with UT sustainability policy.
The fireside chat of 26 October was about climate anxiety with renowned psychologist dr. Wendy Greenspun. She introduced us to the background and nature of climate distress (or anxiety). The distress is a natural response to the current and upcoming ecological crises. It is increasingly common and affects especially younger generations, affecting their mental well-being. Since climate distress is here (to stay), it is vital we take good care of ourselves in order to keep functioning well and to be able to make a difference! But how may we do so? Wendy Greenspun shared the importance of:
– Searching for a community to share your thoughts and emotions,
– Calming your nervous system by doing sports, arts, listening to music and seeing friends,
– Identifying, coping, and transforming difficult emotions by working through them.
For more information and background on climate distress, please watch the UN speech by Dr. Wendy Greenspun.
Our next fireside chat is today, 23 November, 20:30-22:00 (online), about water management in the Netherlands and the Twente area. Dr. Yijian Zeng and Caroline Bers will introduce the topic. The national and regional situation will be highlighted, and they will explain the WUNDER project. The WUNDER consortium unites 19 partners from the public and private sectors to develop adaptation measures to reduce drought effects on diverse water-soil-plant systems (such as crops). Some activities at the university and in the region will be described to address the challenge of drought and water scarcity.
The last fireside chat of 2022 will happen on the 21st of December.
UNFCCC COP27
Next Tuesday, climate envoy Jaime de Bourbon de Parme and prof. Maarten van Aalst will talk about their experiences during the recent climate summit in Sharm-el-Sheikh; very interesting to get a look behind the scenes, of course! Join Studium Generale on Tuesday, 29 November, 19:30-21:00 at Vrijhof Amphitheater.
S4F-NL webinars
S4F-NL hosts a series of webinars on Degrowth.
The first episode (28 Oct) was about “Why degrowth? – Abundance through degrowth, not green growth” by dr. Crelis Rammelt (see picture).
The second webinar was on “Perspectives on degrowth – Wellbeing through degrowth: Can less really be more?” by dr. Miriam Meissner. You can look back at these S4F webinars on degrowth and other topics on the S4F-NL website.
The next episode is tomorrow, 24 November, 13:00-14:00, about “Exploring degrowth policy proposals” with Nick Fitzpatrick. He holds a BSc in Environmental Science, MSc in Geology (Ice & Climate) and is a PhD Candidate in Environment & Sustainability at Nova University Lisbon, Portugal. Nick’s PhD research focuses on untangling the relationship between power, politics, and the practice of degrowth. Degrowth speaks to the primary contradictions of our time: ecological overshoot, social shortfall, and capital accumulation. But how does it approach policymaking? In this S4F-NL webinar, Nick will explore the current state of degrowth policy proposals and how their key features fit the context of public policy design and transition strategies.
Open Letter to the Executive Board: Follow up
About one year ago, we handed over our Open Letter to the CvB asking for the implementation of concrete measures to reduce the CO2 emissions related to the daily operations of our university. The CvB responded that mobility and, in particular, business travel-related CO2 emissions should be the priority. As you are all aware, some plans were worked out. However, the decision on the implementation of these plans was deferred to the faculties, and the extent to which these plans will actually be implemented and affect actual emissions remains unclear at this stage. The same applies to further reaching aspects such as the requirements to reduce electricity consumption or to a long-term plan of reducing commuting-related CO2 emissions. We are planning to evaluate the consequences of our action with a small team in the weeks to come and come up with some next steps. Whoever is willing to participate is invited to join the discussions by either joining the S4F meeting about our new activities on 30 November at 17:00 (location: to be announced, you can ask here) and/or by sending an email to ">.
Contacts between S4F and regional politicians
On Monday, November 13, a committee of the city council of Enschede discussed the vision for the future heating of houses, offices, etc. S4F was present during this meeting in the person of prof. Theo van der Meer. Theo gave his opinion on the vision document prepared by the consultants of Over Morgen. In a city council meeting in December, the vision document will be established by the city council.
An article worth reading
Going from fossil to renewable electricity is going from production to harvesting, so of course, renewables need storage. It is often said that renewable energy is sustainable, but is the storage needed also sustainable? And how cheap is renewable energy plus storage? This blog post by Pietro P. Altermatt is about how much storage is needed, and for this we look at the three stages on the way to 100% renewable electricity.
Too good to go app
Save food and money: check out the Too good to go app. You can even collect food at the Waaier canteen!
Documentary: The Scientist’s Warning
The film “The Scientist’s Warning” has now been released and is free to view online. The Scientist’s Warning is a 35-minute documentary about a researcher who started a movement to encourage scientists to help turn scientific knowledge into action. It’s the story of scientists all over the world awakening to the need to become advocates for the fate of the planet and the humans who depend on it.
Qua Art, Qua Science: Light as a fuel / “Licht als brandstof”
Rebecca Saive is an Assistant-Professor in physics, nanophotonics at the UT. Her research focuses on solar energy conversion, nanophysics, and light-matter interaction. She investigates how solar panels with new, smart materials can generate more energy on cloudy days, but also how to use (a.o.) existing buildings and roads. As a physicist, she is interested to come up with new ways to use light as a fuel and improve yield. You are welcome to join her lecture (in Dutch!) on Tuesday, 6 December 2022, at 20:00, at De Museumfabriek, Het Rozendaal 21, 7523 XG Enschede (Roombeek). Please register if you want to join.
Students for Future Enschede: Climate march
Students for Future Enschede, an initiative of UT students, organizes a Climate March on Tuesday 13 December 2022. You are more than welcome to join at the O&O square at 12:30.
Energy challenge competition
Both staff and students are encouraged to participate in the Energy-Saving Video Challenge.
Everyone on campus (University of Twente, ROC van Twente, and Saxion) is invited to contribute with a short video teaser in TikTok style.
The action promoted in the video should be easy to remember and presented in an engaging format. For each video contribution used on our energy-saving trail, you will receive a financial compensation of €50. In addition, prizes will be awarded to the three best videos. The deadline for submissions is December 15th, 2022. After the Video Challenge, prof. Wilko Rohlfs and his team will work together with students from the Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer courses to adequately quantify the proposed measures.
A book worth reading: “Earth for all”, A survival guide for humanity
Five decades ago, The Limits to Growth shocked the world by showing that population and industrial growth were pushing humanity toward a cliff. Today the world recognizes that we are now at the cliff edge: Earth has crossed multiple planetary boundaries while widespread inequality is causing deep instabilities in societies. There seems to be no way out.
Earth for All is both an antidote to despair and a road map to a better future. Using powerful state-of-the-art computer modeling to explore policies likely to deliver the most good for the majority of people, a leading group of scientists and economists from around the world present five extraordinary turnarounds to achieve prosperity for all within planetary limits in a single generation. Coverage includes:
- Results of new global modeling that indicates falling well-being and rising social tensions heighten the risk of regional societal collapses.
- Two alternative scenarios–too little, too late vs. the giant leap–and what they mean for our collective future
- Five system-shifting steps that can upend poverty and inequality, lift up marginalized people, and transform our food and energy systems by 2050
- A clear pathway to reboot our global economic system, so it works for all people and the planet.
Written in an open, accessible, and inspirational style using clear language and high-impact visuals, Earth for All is a profound vision for uncertain times and a map to a better future.
This survival guide for humanity is required listening to everyone concerned about living well on a fragile planet.
In Commemoration of Herman Daly
The idea of degrowth is finally becoming mainstream and is now also promoted by S4F-NL. See the aforementioned webinar series that they are organizing. At this same time, it is with great sorrow that we have learned about the loss of Herman Daly, who was one of the first to start exploring and promoting the ideas of degrowth and steady-state economy. He passed away on October 28th. Prof. Daly was a true visionary and systems thinker. Many of his ideas were and still are quite revolutionary, and it takes decades for them to finally become understood and appreciated. He was also one of the creators of the discipline of Ecological Economics – the much more realistic and practical type of economics that acknowledges that we live on a finite planet with limited resources, where infinite economic growth is a crazy idea and some of the economic indicators, such as GDP, are totally misleading and have nothing to do with wellbeing and happiness of people.
Please check out some of the great ideas of Herman and take some time to explore the other very relevant materials collected by the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE) – an NGO inspired by Herman’s ideas.
Symposium of the HTHT CBL ICR&TIST minor
You are kindly invited to the symposium of the new HTHT CBL minor Intelligence, Creativity, and Responsible Technological Innovations in Societal Transformations (ICR&TIST) on February 2, 13:30 – 17:30 (including drinks) in DesignLab. Tentative program:
- Guest lecture by prof. Andy van den Dobbelsteen (TUD, Climate Design & Sustainability).
The students will share their insights to inspire new ways of thinking and understanding the energy transition on topics ranging from:
- Why do people not take action?
- What is degrowth, and can it be made practical?
- What are the challenges and achievements of local initiatives?
- What is the role of conspiracy theories (false beliefs) in climate change acceptance?
- How is the distribution of (political) responsibilities in taking action?
- Can new concepts frame the climate challenge and provide new perspectives?
- How to manage inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations in the energy-transition?
- How to assess ‘clean’ energy technologies, and can they be made more attractive?
- What can we learn from spaceflight in designing new energy technology?
At the end of the symposium, students will ‘hand-over’ their report to our challenge-provider RES (regieorgaan energietransitie Twente).
A new report World Scientists Warning of a Climate Emergency 2022
This short report provides updates on 35 planetary vital signs and makes policy recommendations for transformative change. This year’s report focuses on the devastating impacts of climate-related disasters that we are now seeing, including extreme flooding, heat waves, and wildfires; see also an article in Forbes and a media toolkit with interesting pictures (example à).
Outreach of S4F-Twente
Saturday afternoon October 1st, S4F-Twente, in person of dr. Evert Houwman, gave a public lecture on the climate crisis in the Stadskerk ‘De Bleek’ in Almelo, for the “Vereniging van Vrijzinnig Godsdienstigen” (VVG-Almelo). About 40 people attended who asked many questions and there was a lively discussion afterwards during the drinks.
S4F-Twente lunch meetings
Every first Monday and third Friday of the month at 12:30, anyone interested in S4F, staff or student, is welcome to join us for lunch in the Waaier canteen. This is an informal meeting where you can exchange ideas and concerns and meet like-minded. In the previous meetings, we discussed “How to transform the sustainability vision in Shaping 2030 into action” (7 Nov.), “Students need to learn how to collaborate in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams” and “It appears that we cannot avoid the role for nuclear power in the energy transition” (18 Nov). Feel free to join us in one of the next informal lunch meetings (see Calendar for dates); you can recognize us by the stripes of this newsletter.
You are also more than welcome to join us at our meeting about our new activities on 30 November, 17:00.
Calendar
| Date, time | Event | Location |
| 21-25 November 2022 | Sustainability Week, organised by the UT, Saxion and ROC van Twente | varies |
| Wednesday 23 November 2022, 20:30-22:00 | Fireside chat about water management | online |
| Thursday 24 November 2022, 13:00-14:00 | S4F webinar Exploring degrowth policy proposals | online |
| Tuesday 29 November 2022, 19:30-21:00 | The future of our climate – UT Studium Generale with prof. Maarten van Aalst | Vrijhof – Amphitheater |
| Wednesday 30 November, 17:00-19:00 | S4F-Twente meeting about our new activities | To be announced |
| Monday 5 December 2022, 12:30-13:30 | S4F-Twente lunch meeting | Waaier canteen |
| Tuesday 6 December 2022, 20:00 | Qua Art, Qua Science: Light as a fuel | De Museumfabriek, Enschede (see item above) |
| Tuesday 13 December 2022, 13:30 | Climate march for our future, by Students for Future | O&O square |
| Wednesday 21 December 2022, 20:30-22:00 | Fireside chat | online |
| Friday 16 December 2022, 12:30-13:30 | S4F-Twente lunch meeting | Waaier canteen |
| Friday 20 January 2022, 12:30-13:30 | S4F-Twente lunch meeting | Waaier canteen |
| Thursday 2 February 2023, 13:30-17:30 | Symposium of HTHT CBL ICR&TIST minor | Design lab |
| Monday 6 February 2023, 12:30-13:30 | S4F-Twente lunch meeting | Waaier canteen |
Interesting links
- Follow us on Twitter
- Scientists4Future-NL and their Newsletters
- GreenHub Twente and their Newsletters
We hope to see you soon, through one of the above opportunities,
the S4F-Twente newsletter team – Leonie Krab, Nasim Rezaei, Annemarie Dedden, Lena Heinrich, Evert Houwman, Gertjan Koster, Theo van der Meer, Frieder Mugele, Alexey Voinov –
Scientists4Future–Twente – Coalition of concerned scientists
Scientists4Future-Twente Newsletter – September 2022
Dear supporter of Scientists4Future-Twente,
Welcome to the September-2022 edition of the S4F-Twente Newsletter. We are happy that you are supporting us. Reach out to people that share your concerns: meet us in one of the activities that are described here!
Please find in this Newsletter:
- Open Letter to the Executive Board: Follow up – Reducing your plane travels and rethink UT policies with us
- Contacts between S4F and regional politicians
- Student Energy Crisis: information and support lecture
- S4F lectures at primary and secondary schools
- Fireside chats: 14 September and 26 October (online)
- S4F webinars
- GreenLabs
- S4F-Twente lunch meetings
- Students for Future Enschede – petition
- Global Climate strike
- Articles worth reading
- A book worth reading
- Calendar
- Interesting links
Open Letter to the Executive Board: Follow up – Reducing your plane travels and rethink UT policies with us
Faculty boards have been asked to promote the train map and promote train travel over flights and to discuss criteria and reasons for traveling of employees. You could ask your management how they deal with these issues and show your engagement with this topic!
Contacts between S4F and regional politicians
S4F tries to intensify its contacts with regional politicians. This summer, we talked to the aldermen of Losser (Jaimi van Essen) and Enschede (Niels van den Berg). During the discussion with Niels van den Berg, he promised to install an advisory committee that will advise the city council and the city government on climate-related issues.
Student Energy Crisis: information and support lecture
Europe is in the middle of an energy crisis that affects us all. Prices of fuel, gas, and electricity are rising to unprecedented levels. For students, this means a rise in energy costs that could be around €1000 per student per year. The good news is that these rising costs also mean that the impact you can have on your bill increases as well. So acting now to save energy is essential.
The key to successfully keeping your bill as low as possible is cooperation and knowledge. For this reason, Nando Tolboom, PhD-candidate, and co-founder of start-up Realised, organizes an information and support lecture for students about what measures you can take to keep your energy bill in check. Join in on Tuesday, 13 of September, 12:45 in Waaier 2 to learn what you can do. The lecture is supported by the University of Twente, housing associations: De Veste, SJHT, and Plaza, and the Energieloket Enschede.
S4F lectures at primary and secondary schools
S4F has teamed up with Pre-U on the lecturing at schools. Several of our scientists are involved, and the subjects of their lectures are recently communicated by Pre-U-junior to primary schools in the region.
Fireside chats (online)
About once a month, we organize a fireside chat. This is an informal meeting of supporters of S4F-Twente. We discuss actual topics. You are welcome to join!
Our next meeting is this Wednesday, 14 September, 20:30-22:00 (online), and will be about how to affect UT sustainability policy: what are (y)our ideas, where could the UT play a larger role, how to speed up, what should immediately change, how can we foster sustainable change at the UT?
The fireside chat of 26 October (20:30-22:00, online) will be about climate anxiety, with guest speaker Wendy Greenspun, PhD. She is a clinical and climate psychologist in NYC, specializing in the treatment of climate distress. She published an interesting essay about it. Please note that the date of this chat has changed from 12 to 26 October.
S4F webinars
Through their website, you can look back at interesting S4F-Netherlands webinars on youtube. The next webinar is on Thursday, 15 September, by dr. Paul Raekstad, University of Amsterdam, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. He will talk about “The Social Science behind Civil Disobedience”.
GreenLabs
Last week, Green Labs UTwente started the pilot of plastic recycling in the laboratories at the Zuidhorst building, which means that there are now additional PMD bins in the labs. By this measure, we want to reduce residual waste production in the labs.
Rolf Slaats (S&T), who spoke at one of our fireside chats, initiated the process. He is in contact with Asito/people from campus & facility management and was involved in placing the bins.
There is also a bigger, general waste station outside the labs downstairs next to the side entrance of ZH building, where it is possible to distinguish different types of plastics (Styrofoam vs. plastic film vs. PMD vs. hard plastics and other waste).
S4F-Twente lunch meetings
Every first Monday and third Friday of the month at 12:30, anyone interested in S4F, staff or student, is welcome to join us for lunch in the Waaier canteen. This is an informal meeting where you can exchange ideas and concerns and meet like-minded. We look forward to meeting you! You can recognize us by the stripes that we always start this newsletter with.
Students for Future Enschede – petition, and pitches
Students for Future Enschede claims that UT should publicly acknowledge the climate crisis: “UT has the responsibility to use its position as a credible knowledge institution in the public discourse. Now is a critical moment to take up this responsibility. The city council is currently debating what the reality of the climate crisis means for the city of Enschede and how to best communicate this reality to its citizens. The scientific consensus is clear: we are facing a climate crisis. It will affect every region, including Twente, and actions must be taken as soon as possible to protect ourselves and future generations as best as we can. Are you a student, staff member, professor, or alumnus of the UT? Please sign the petition to let the executive board know that they need to take responsibility and speak up in the public debate by sending an open letter to the city council of Enschede.” Get involved by signing and sharing their petition.
Join the action! Several UT-based climate- and ecological grassroot groups will introduce themselves to the academic community on Thursday 22 September, 12.30 at the O&O Plein. Students for Futures, Vegan Student Association, University Rebellion, and Scientist Rebellion will give brief pitches about their backgrounds, aims, and methods. BE THERE to get to know them & learn about their collective demands for the UT that will inform upcoming actions and events.
Global Climate Strike
The next global climate strike is on Friday 23 September (#FridaysForFuture). The goal of the movement is “to put moral pressure on policymakers, to make them listen to the scientists, and then to take forceful action to limit global warming”. Through the link, you can find where strikes are held, in the Netherlands and worldwide.
Articles worth reading
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published an interesting article: “Climate Endgame: Exploring catastrophic climate change scenarios”, written by Luke Kemp (Cambridge, UK) et al. Authors claim that it is time for the scientific community to grapple with the challenge of better understanding catastrophic climate change. “There is ample evidence that climate change could become catastrophic. We could enter such “endgames” at even modest levels of warming. Understanding extreme risks is important for robust decision-making, from preparation to consideration of emergency responses. This requires exploring not just higher temperature scenarios but also the potential for climate change impacts to contribute to systemic risk and other cascades.”
Another article worth reading is from Nature and deals with the growth of methane in the atmosphere.
A book worth reading
“Duurzame energietechniek” – Bram Entrop et al. This is a very accessible yet technical book (in Dutch) explaining the history, current systems and regulations, and possible futures of energy systems in the Netherlands. It has separate chapters on different energy generation, storage, conversion, and distribution technologies.
The book quantifies its statements, so we are not left with a feeling of A is better than B without knowing why, as it provides insights into the details of why, how much, how long, and other limitations of each option. The book was revised in 2020, and the information is as up-to-date as can be on the current energy transition.
Calendar
- Tuesday 13 September, 12:45: Student Energy Crisis: information and support lecture (Waaier 2)
- Wednesday 14 September, 20:30-22:00 (online): Fireside chat on how to influence UT sustainability policy
- Thursday 15 September, 16:00-17:00 S4F-NL webinar: “The Social Science behind Civil Disobedience” by dr. Paul Raekstad
- Friday 16 September, 12:30-13:30: S4F-Twente lunch meeting, Waaier canteen
- Thursday 22 September, 12:30-13:30: protest and pitches at O&O plein (see above)
- Friday 23 September: Global climate strike
- Saturday 1 October, afternoon: S4F lecture and participation in discussion session VVG, Almelo (see the previous Newsletter)
- Monday 3 October, 12:30-13:30: S4F-Twente lunch meeting, Waaier canteen
- Friday 21 October, 12:30-13:30: S4F-Twente lunch meeting, Waaier canteen
- Wednesday 26 October, 20:30-22:00 (online): Fireside chat on climate anxiety
- Monday 7 November, 12:30-13:30: S4F-Twente lunch meeting, Waaier canteen
- Friday 18 November, 12:30-13:30: S4F-Twente lunch meeting, Waaier canteen
- 21-25 November: Sustainability Week, organized by the UT, Saxion, and ROC van Twente.
- Tuesday 29 November 2022, 19:30-21:00: The future of our climate – UT Studium Generale met prof. Maarten van Aalst
Interesting links
- Follow us on Twitter
- Scientists4Future-NL and their Newsletters
- GreenHub Twente and their Newsletters
We hope to see you soon through one of the above opportunities,
the S4F-Twente newsletter team – Leonie Krab, Maarten Arentsen, Yuri Engelhardt, Lena Heinrich, Evert Houwman, Gertjan Koster, Theo van der Meer, Frieder Mugele, Nando Tolboom, Karina Vink –
Scientists4Future–Twente – Coalition of concerned scientists