confronti 2019 - Economic choices and environmental sustainability

The subject of environmental sustainability in an economic perspective will be the focus of confronti 2019, the annual public event organised by USI Institute for Economic Research (IRE), which this year will offer a reflection on how to reconcile the important challenge of environmental sustainability with a transition to a prosperous and inclusive economic system. The event to be held on 5 November at the Lugano campus aula magna will be divided in three parts: the opening session, with educational games providing food for thought and allowing participants to approach the subjects under discussion; the plenary session, which, through a dialogue between natural sciences and economics, will see the climatologist Luca Mercalli and the economist Lucas Bretschger in an open discussion with the audience; and finally the networking apéro with themed areas that will present the activities of the IRE observatories, bringing thus the participants closer to the reality of academic research.

The first part of the event consists in an informal gathering of industry and institutional representatives, citizens, university students and a high school students from the region. The latter presence is a new element of confronti, where young students are invited to participate in the discussion that sees important issues at stake and will thus allow them to learn more about the world of research. The first part of confronti will be interactive as well, with educational games such as the Energy Game (similar to what IRE had organised for Expo 2015 in Milan and Expo 2017 in Astana), the Fishing Game, and Economic compensation.

The core session of confronti 2019 will be a discussion between renowned Italian climatologist Luca Mercalli and economist Lucas Bretschger, professor at ETH Zurich who specialises in the subjects of sustainability, environment, energy and economic growth - an opportunity to bring together science and economics and to reflect on a certain issues: how can the challenges of climate change be addressed in economic terms? How can environmental sustainability be combined with the need for a transition to a thriving and inclusive economic system? What individual choices are we willing to make?

The networking apéro will close the event, offering additional opportunities for exchange, also through themed areas that will present the activities of IRE, with its three research units: the Observatory of Public Finance and Energy (O-FpE), the Observatory of Tourism (O-Tur), and the Observatory of Economic Dynamics (O-De).

confronti is organised by the USI Institute for Economic Research (IRE) as part of the activities to support the economy and the region of Canton Ticino. It aims at providing opportunities to meet, reflect and discuss on the economic dynamics of the region - at an economic and structural level - placed in the context of an interregional, national and cross-border comparison.

confronti is supported by BancaStato and the Department of Finance and Economy of the Canton of Ticino (DFE).

Full details at: www.confronti.ch

Registration: www.usi.ch/en/confronti-registration