Il Nuovo Saggiatore
Bollettino della Società Italiana di Fisica
OPINIONI Online First

On the occasion of its XCIV National Congress the Italian Physical Society will organize a round table with title

The event will take place on Thursday 25 September 2008 at 17.00 in the "Aula Magna" of the Physics Department of Genoa University, via Dodecaneso 33, Genoa, Italy.

The shortage of energy sources, geopolitical frictions, the security of energy supply and the risks related to climate changes have focussed the attention of the political and mediatic debate on the energy problem.

Already in 2007 the Italian Physical Society, partly in answer to an invitation from the European Physical Society, had set up a working group of experts from various universities, research and energy institutions, to edit a report (white book) on the energy situation in Italy. In order to guarantee the adequate energetic supply, while safeguarding the environment and keeping Italian industries at a competitive level, it is extremely necessary to move towards a more sustainable energy system and a more sustainable development, that can rely on both renewable sources and nuclear power, without sterile and pointless contrasts. Only if one uses all the available technologies, old and new, and the energetic saving policies are applied, it will be possible to fulfill the increasing energy demand also on the global level.

In this context, physics is destined to play a more and more important role since most of the modern energy technologies and their developments are largely dependent upon physics discoveries and results.

The Round Table faces up this challenge, by presenting the point of view of some of the most outstanding specialists from the academic and reserach world as well as from industry.