Howard E. Woodin ES Colloquium Series

“Decarbonizing an Economy: Electricity, Coal, and the Threat of a Good Example” by Frederick Weston ‘79, Principal and Director, Global Policy and Strategy, the Regulatory Assistance Project.

If we are to avoid the worst effects of climate change, it will be because we will have eliminated electricity production’s dependence on fossil fuels and then have electrified transport, buildings, and industry. Can it be done? What are the obstacles to success? What are the policy prerequisites for the transition to the low-carbon economy? China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, will be a central actor in this drama. This discussion will touch on some of the challenges that the transition faces in the Middle Kingdom, and on some of the intriguing responses to them that the country is contemplating.

Sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program and the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs.