by Michael Paula and Hannes Bauer  

The “Austrian program on technologies for sustainable development” (at:sd) was able to address crucial questions in designing a "Building of Tomorrow" through various research and technological development projects: The program stimulated and supported approximately 200 projects. Researchers and companies responded to the challenges and developed basic and applied research projects which demonstrated the possibility of achieving highly energy efficient “passive buildings.”

by Jodie Roussel

The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE), a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington DC, was founded in 2001 as a unifying forum dedicated to bringing renewable energy into the mainstream of American’s economy and lifestyle. In 2005 we celebrated our 240th member organization, and we look forward to continued growth and contribution to renewable energy in America.

by Marianne Moscosco-Osterkorn  

Energy security is an issue facing almost every country in the world, whether developed or developing.  If clean, sustainable energy is to become part of the energy mix, and if the impoverished are to get the energy services they need, the finance and business communities need to feel more confident in backing renewable energy.  Marianne Osterkorn, International Director of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), believes that regulatory and legal frameworks can help provide this confidence.

by Roger A. Pielke, Jr.  

In recent decades, science has been increasingly called upon to forge closer connections with the broader society.  The days of the basic researcher toiling away in a laboratory with little concern about or accountability to external influences seems to be growing more distant every day.  The trend toward a more societally-responsive scientific enterprise has been well documented by scholars who study science in society.  Concepts describing this trend – such as "Mode 2 science," "use-inspired basic research," and "well-ordered science" – will be quite familiar to anyone well-acquainted with the discipline of "science and technology studies."  But this trend is not just something that affects natural scientists. It also affects scholars like myself who study science in society.  This leads me to ask:  What is the relationship between science studies and science policies?  And how should that relationship be shaped?

by Heinz Gaertner

Multilateralism in international institutions and regimes can facilitate cooperation by providing opportunities for negotiations, reducing uncertainty about the policies of other actors, and affecting leaders’ expectations about the future. It therefore can both promote cooperation and constrain bargaining strategies, facilitating the drafting of agreements.