Rebecca Thorne at the IKEM Academy in Berlin

From 31 August to 3 September, Research Associate Rebecca Thorne was in Berlin for the IKEM Academy ‘Climate Spark: Igniting Multi-Level Action to Achieve the Global Energy Transition’.

The first day involved a field trip to Feldheim, Germany’s first energy-independent village, where participants discovered how the community is served by a wind park, biogas plant, lithium battery storage and heat distribution centre. The visit included a look inside a wind turbine.

Presentations covered everything from the sobering state of the climate to the positive speculative art genre Solarpunk. Participants learned about the energy footprint of AI (almost impossible to calculate given so many different factors); the role of journalism (it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom); new technologies; the resilience of Ukraine’s energy sector; and the importance of equality and diversity as part of the energy transition.

During interactive workshops, participants had the opportunity to build a climate litigation case and plan an energy cooperative. There were also sessions that encouraged creative thinking: designing a sustainable city using mixed media and telling stories about the individuals behind the numbers.