Hampton, NH -- (ReleaseWire) -- 08/23/2018 --While the notion of sustainability is often advanced by those who develop energy policies designed to protect the world's ecosystem, some experts believe the effort is falling short.

"Pollution is not, unlike environmentalists claim, something that is coming from factories, high chimneys of power production, or excessive use of chemicals," said Mikko Paunio, MD, MHS, Adjunct Professor in General Epidemiology at the University of Helsinki.

Currently holding a cabinet position (Medical Counselor) at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health of Finland in the area of environmental health, Paunio said energy policies around the world fail to address a key issue.

"The problem is the inability of the poor to consume clean energy," he said.

He cited one report in which health officials estimate smoke from wood, dung or charcoal fires used by 3 billion people in villages across Africa, Central America and Asia shortens millions of lives every year.

Chairman of both the German Wildlife Trust and supervisory board of Aurubis, the largest copper producer in Europe, Dr. Fritz Vahrenholt said many energy policies have unintended consequences.

"As Managing Director of the German Wildlife Trust, I have to deal with the conflicts between renewable energies, namely wind-turbines and biomass utilization, with endangered species like birds of prey or protected bats," he said.

At The Portsmouth Conference on October 18 and 19, 2018 in Portsmouth, NH, Paunio and Vahrenholt will join other leading thinkers from across the world to discuss these and other issues related to climate policy.

Avoiding the science behind climate change, the international conference seeks to provide a platform for a thoughtful dialogue between leading thinkers and experts before an audience of decision leaders from across the world. At the conference, a wide array of subjects will be up for discussion, including investment strategies, energy considerations in the first and third worlds and more.

"Current energy policy is just one example of the impact legislation is having on the global economy," said Dr. Geoff Weiss, conference Board of Director and Emeritus Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at the University of Virginia Health System. "This conference will explore diverse viewpoints on the payoffs and trade-offs that result from climate policy-making."

For speakers at the conference, the opportunity to engage in a constructive dialogue with others on the subject of policy-making related to climate is long overdue.

"Too often, just images of good and bad--not knowledge--dictate policy and tend to divide people," Paunio said.

The Portsmouth Conference will take place in Portsmouth, NH on October 18 and 19, 2018. To learn more about The Portsmouth Conference, including how to register and full speaker biographies, visit theportsmouthconference.org.