On November 22, 2023, the Regional Sustainability Scientific Committee (RFTAB) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, organized an open session. The event focused on sustainability, specifically highlighting the recently published Hungarian version of Ervin László’s book, “The Survival Imperative: Upshifting to Conscious Evolution”.
The venue for the event was provided by the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
Humanity, conscious evolution and continuous change
The session was opened by János Szlávik, who introduced the theme of the meeting. Afterwards, Ervin László, pianist, philosopher of science, two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and writer presented his latest book and addressed the questions it explores. He spoke about the current state of humanity, the possibilities of continuous change and renewal, conscious development, and action. In both his book and speech, Ervin László addressed the global population, paying particular attention to the new generation, as they are the ones who must take on these challenges and tasks for the sake of survival.
Ervin László supports the Atlas Award
Ervin László is internationally recognized as one of the prominent figures advocating for sustainability. Given that sustainability is a key element of the Atlas World community and the Atlas Award, Ervin László supported our initiative and the underlying principles in 2023. Unfortunately, he couldn’t attend the Atlas Award 2023 ceremony in person, but he shared his thoughts with the audience through a video message, which can be viewed here.
Household energy consumption and human development
Another speaker at the open session was Tekla Szép PhD. (Associate Professor at University of Miskolc), who examined the relationship between household energy consumption and human development. Dr Szép discussed the concept of energy transition, its policy background, and then delved into the connection between energy consumption and human well-being, as well as her research on this topic, including the process, questions, methodology, and, of course, the results. She also mentioned energy poverty, which has become an especially important topic since 2022, and drew interesting conclusions and suggestions regarding the subject.
Regional aspects of climate vulnerability
Attila Buzási PhD. (Head Of Department at Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Department of Environmental Economics and Sustainability), the other speaker at the event, presented the regional aspects of climate vulnerability. In his research, he examined the sustainability and climate change issues faced by various European countries, the strategies they employ to overcome these challenges, and the effectiveness of these plans.
After these interesting and inspiring speeches, participants had the opportunity to ask questions and initiate engaging discussions and debates on the various topics.
The open session provided the perfect platform for vital discussions and exchange of knowledge about sustainability. It was an honor and pleasure to be able to meet Ervin László in person, listen to his mind-provoking thoughts about humanity and sustainability and hear about his latest initiatives.
