Maynooth University Faculty of Social Sciences

Maynooth University Professor Fabiano Pallonetto has addressed COP28 on the topic of how education can help shift the public towards renewable energy.

Prof Pallonetto of the School of Business is a Director of the International Renewable Energy Systems Integration (IRESI) Research group and participated in a panel presentation on ‘Empowering Society through Sustainable Energy Education’.

The COP28 discussion focussed on the importance of sharing knowledge and working together to build a more sustainable world. It formed part of a ‘United in Science 2023’ event which emphasises weather, climate, water, and environmental science's importance in reaching Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The event encouraged partnerships across science, policy, and society to speed up progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

 

Prof Pallonetto and his team are committed to empowering citizens by providing them with the tools and knowledge to be part of a cleaner energy system. Their EU-funded RES4CITY project is creating a co-designed educational framework to rapidly up-skill both academics and professionals in renewable energies and fuel technologies -- by integrating, influencing, and combining existing best practices - whilst integration the use of an AI self-assessment tool and gamification.

Similarly, as part of Science Foundation Ireland funded RENEW project, the team collaborates with civil society, government, industry, and academic stakeholders to support the development of sustainable energy communities in Ireland.

Prof Pallonetto said: "Education is one of the keys to achieving the shared goals of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – and projects like RES4CITY and RENEW help everyday people become experts in the renewable energy transition. This is how we can build a better future together."

(Main photo credit: UNCTAD, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)