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From January to March 2008, Stephanie Schlegel, Fellow at Ecologic, teaches a course on energy policy at the University of Denver. The course "The Global Energy Crisis" explores the trends, dilemmas and solutions of the global energy crisis, thereby also analysing the future role of energy efficiency, renewable energies and the link to climate policy.

Energy has become a basic requirement for our everyday life and for the global economy. At the same time, two billion people lack access to modern energy services. However, if they are to achieve a decent standard of living by using traditional fossil fuel, the impact on the planet will be utterly devastating. Furthermore, due to the continuing growth of the world’s population and living standards world-wide, energy consumption globally is expected to jump significantly. According to the International Energy Agency’s "World Energy Outlook 2007" the world’s energy needs would be well over 50% higher in 2030 if governments continue with existing policies.

Business as usual will have perilous consequences. Carbon dioxide emissions associated with combustion of fossil fuels are a priority for the international policy agenda as related to global climate change. Moreover, there are growing concerns about the security of supply, growing scarcity and the consequences of mounting energy prices.

Consequently, a paradigm shift in technological, economic, and political action as well as consumption patterns is needed in order to overcome the challenges of the Global Energy Crisis. Many argue that addressing this challenge will require a third technological revolution – and may trigger destabilisation of different regions in the world and cause tensions between energy consuming countries.

The course adresses these various aspects of the global energy crisis and discuss possible solutions.

The course is offered at the Graduate School for International Studies (GSIS) at the University of Denver. Scholars in the field of international relations have frequently rated the Graduate School of International Studies one of the best international relations programs in the United States. New survey results were published in the March/April 2007 issue of Foreign Policy magazine in the article “The View from the Ivory Tower: What International Professors Think About Foreign Policy.” GSIS’ master’s degree program ranked 9th in the nation, ahead of such schools as Syracuse, University of Chicago, Yale, Stanford, University of California-Berkeley, and MIT.