Lara Yasmin Hunziker’s Post

✨ Reflections on Energy Summer School I recently spent a week alongside researchers from around the world, all deeply passionate about sustainability, at the ETH Summer School on Energy Technology, Policy, and Politics. During those intensive days filled with discussions, keynote speeches, poster presentations, and case studies, I found answers to some of my questions regarding the energy transition and our journey towards achieving a net-zero energy system. Yet, more significantly, I discovered even more questions. I'd like to share a few of those questions with you. I was genuinely impressed and inspired by the amout and quality of research being conducted in all areas of the energy transition. At the same time, I couldn't help but notice a substantial gap between academia and the real world. How can we ensure that research remains practical and relevant in the face of real-world complexities, like politics and diverse stakeholder interests? How can we effectively translate research insights into actionable solutions? It also appears that we already possess the technological know-how and economic resources needed to drive the energy transition and reach our climate goals. From my perspective, the true challenge lies within the domain of politics and policies—making these solutions work by accommodating the interests of all stakeholders involved. How can we foster greater cooperation? How can we improve negotiations and dialogues to facilitate collective action towards our shared objectives? This is where I see great potential for frameworks like Non-Violent Communication (NVC) and the Inner Development Goals (IDG), which I am exploring at the moment. I may not have made all the connections and have found all the answers, but I am looking forward to dive deeper into the complexities of the problems humanity is confronted with, connecting inner development with sustainability and challenging the boundaries of what we think is possible.