King convenes 9th Royal Colloquium

The Royal Colloquium was initiated by The King in 1992, and since then seminars have maintained a consistent focus on climate and the environment.

The theme for this year's seminar was future energy systems and guaranteed access to water and food. One of the issues discussed by participants was the difficulty in turning knowledge and analysis into action. With all the knowledge that exists, it is important to also take action to improve the environment. But since there is uncertainty over what the most important type of energy will be in future, it is important to step up research and development within the field of energy in order to agree on what environmental action is to be taken. The Climate Conference in Copenhagen, which takes place in December 2009, will hopefully result in measures to slow down the negative impact on our environment.

The King brought the days in Bönhamn to a conclusion by expressing the hope that the participants had gained inspiration and knowledge to further strengthen their arguments in favour of a better environment. It is important that participants' knowledge is distributed to wider circles and taken on board by both decision-makers and the general public.

Former 2nd deputy speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Görel Thurdin, was the local host in the beautiful little village of Bönhamn. Her son, chef Ulf Thurdin, was responsible for providing the delicious meals made from local ingredients.

The following people took part in the 9th Royal Colloquium:

• H.M. King Carl Gustaf, Chairman
• Professor Anders Karlqvist, Polar Research Institute
• Dr. Elisabeth Kessler, Ambio
• Professor Gunnar Öqvist, Permanent Secretary, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
• Professor Yoshinori Yasuda, International Research Center for Japanese Studies
• Dr. Tomas Ries, Director, Swedish Institute of International Affairs
• Professor Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• Prof. Dr. h.c. Manfred Max-Neef, Director Economics Institute, Universidad Austral de Chile
• Professor Thomas B. Johansson, Director, International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
• Dr. Stefan Fölster, Confederation of Swedish Enterprise
• Malcolm Dixelius, Dixit
• Professor Marian Radetzki
• Professor Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute
• Dr. Dan Asplund, Benet Ltd and Benet Bioenergy network
• Görel Thurdin, Chairman of the National Commission for UNESCO in Sweden, Former Deputy Speaker Swedish Parliament
• Landshövding Bo Källstrand, Västernorrland County Administrative Board
• Professor Sven Kullander, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
• Dr. Johan Rockström, Executive Director, Stockholm Environment Institute and Stockholm Resilience Centre
• Professor Daniel Tarschys, Riksbankens Jubileumsfond
• Dr. Dan Brändström
• Professor Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Deputy Director, Vienna University of Technology, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis