The first ever ”Tampere IAS Talks” event was organized as part of the annual Science Day event at Tampere Hall on 27 January 2024.
The keynote speech on Sustainable Mobility was given by Professor Leonidas Ntziachristos, Director of Applied Thermodynamics Lab at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki.
Professor Ntziachristos, with his remarkable track record in research on e.g. pollutants formation and emission models as well as in policy advice EU level, helped the audience to understand the complexity of decarbonizing mobility. We cannot afford to look at simple indicators like tailpipe emissions or amounts of CO2 only. Taking into account other greenhouse gases and emissions from energy production, as well as not forgetting the whole life cycle impact of new technologies, makes the outlook complex. Investing dogmatically in one given technology can lead to short-sighted solutions, whereas the most effective strategies to reach sustainable mobility utilize a number of technologies, selected neutrally based on their impact on the sector as a whole.
Panu Karjalainen, Senior Research Fellow of Tampere IAS and Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, complemented the analysis from an aerosol scientist’s perspective. Karjalainen helped the audience to understand the difference between the emission health challenges caused locally by poor air quality and the climate changes taking place globally. The policies tackling the two challenges can be different and may even have trade-offs between them. As fundamental as curbing the future rise in average temperatures is, we must not forget the millions of deaths taking place annually already now due to locally poor air quality.
“Tampere IAS Talks” is designed as a series of annual events that highlight the international collaboration and societal relevance of the research done in the auspices of Tampere IAS. A prominent figure from global research arena and their collaborator at the Tampere IAS elaborate together on the significance of their work to people and societies.