Innovations for a Low-Carbon Society
Posted: March 2nd, 2010 | Author: Jon Coon | Tags: Climate Change, green, science, solar | No Comments »
There was a surplus of amazing events on campus this week although none was quite as informative as The José de Acosta Lecture by Dr. Daniel Kammen. In breif, Kammen is heavily involved with government policy:
Kammen advises the U. S. and Swedish Agencies for International Development, the World Bank, and the Presidents Committee on Science and Technology (PCAST), and is a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Working Group III and the Special Report on Technology Transfer). Dr. Kammen serves on the technical review board for the GEF (the STAP), is a lead author for the Special Report on Technology Transfer of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and advises the World Bank and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and well as the African Academy of Sciences.
His analysis was thoroughly embedded within a policy framework and ways that we will be able to meet goals outlined by the state of California and most recently President Obama in Copenhagen which seek to keep carbon levels below.
Quick facts:
Kenyans get more energy per person from solar than anywhere else on earth (due to a lack of energy infrastructure)
The only ‘green’ or carbon neutral billionaire? Suntech founder Dr. Zhengrong Shi
By 2030 the U.S. government estimates 20% of our energy will come from solar…currently around 1% (according to Kammen this is a conservative est.)
New policy terms you should know:
PACE: Property Assessed Clean Energy loans through local governments, obligation transfers with ownership
Cap and Dividend: It caps fossil fuel supplies, makes polluters pay, and returns the revenue to everyone equally.
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