Increasingly aggressive strategies are needed to reduce current and future carbon emissions and proactively remove carbon-based heat-trapping gasses that have been emitted to date. A panel of experts will discuss this topic during the webinar “Getting to negative: strategies, ethics and co-benefits.”
The virtual webinar will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on May 19 and is free and open to the public. Register at https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LQm1TXQYRzKIqa-F9os3sA.
Calls for net-zero emissions by 2035 from the electric sector, for example, present a monumental decarbonization call-to-action but have numerous direct and indirect effects on society. A panel of experts will discuss key challenges and opportunities for decarbonization in Pennsylvania and nationally from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Panelists will discuss the potential pathways for net-zero emissions as well as the ethical dimensions and socio-environmental tradeoffs in making these critical changes.
The webinar's moderator is Erica Smithwick, distinguished professor of geography in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and an associate director of the Institutes of Energy and Environment.
Panelists include:
- Jennifer Baka, assistant professor of geography in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
- Bruce Logan, Evan Pugh University Professor in Engineering, Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering and associate director of the Institutes of Energy and the Environment.
- Jacqueline O'Connor, associate professor of mechanical engineering and director for Gas Turbine Research, Education, and Outreach in the College of Engineering.
- Wei Peng, assistant professor of international affairs and civil and environmental engineering with a joint appointment with the School of International Affairs and the College of Engineering.
- Tom Richard, professor of agricultural and biological engineering in the College of Agricultural Sciences and the director of the Institutes of Energy and the Environment.
- Xiaoxing Wang, associate research professor in the EMS Energy Institute.
The webinar is part of the larger Energy Days conference, an annual conference hosted by the Institutes of Energy and the Environment that brings together professionals working in all areas of energy. The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences is hosting this specific webinar as part of the college’s 125th Anniversary celebration.