Think2050

Last week the UK Department of energy and climate change ran an online debate about the ‘pathways to 2050’ and invited a panel of experts to share their opinions on the topic.  

Of the eight ‘energy experts’, all of them are men. 

The recent DECC debate on the 2050 pathways  has been to open up the discussion, move the debate out of the nerdy policy circles, and encourage the wider public to be involved, have a say and share their views.

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The DECC Youth Advisory Panel on a site visit to the British Gas plant, Cardiff (2010)

In the week that celebrated International Women’s Day you might have thought that there would be more female voices in the energy mix? But then again, maybe not…

The UKRC website shows that  “women represent 15.5 per cent of SET professionals in the UK”. 

Something called the WISE campaign – Women into Science, Engineering and Construction – that works with industry and education to inspire girls and attract them into careers in that industry, also states “When girls avoid subjects like Physics, Engineering, Construction and IT, it means that some of the brightest minds and best skills are lost to these employment sectors.”

…  Excitingly, however, as a sign of things to come, just last week the winner of the Young Scientist of the year was announced as the first female ever - Hannah Eastwood, 18, from Loreto College in Coleraine, who explored how chromium could be removed from drinking water.  This is a shining example of young women being recognised for their work and contribution to the field in a way that will hopefully encourage many others to pursue similar paths.

After all, as Einstein has told us “[w]e cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

See the DECC blog for the full story.