Scientific Colloquium
May 16, 2014
"The Great Transition: Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Wind and Solar Energy"

As oil insecurity deepens, the extraction risks of fossil fuels rise, and concerns about climate instability cast a shadow over the future of coal, a new world energy economy is emerging. The old economy, fueled by oil, natural gas, and coal is being replaced with one powered by wind, solar, and geothermal energy. Brown will discuss the accelerating pace of this global energy revolution. As many countries become less enamored with coal and nuclear power, they are embracing an array of clean, renewable energies. Whereas solar energy projects were once small-scale, largely designed for residential use, energy investors are now building utility-scale solar projects. Strides are being made: some of the huge wind farm complexes under construction in China will each produce as much electricity as several nuclear power plants, and an electrified transport system supplemented by the use of bicycles could reshape the way we think about mobility.
About the speaker:
Lester R. Brown is President of the Earth Policy Institute and author of a number of books including Breaking New Ground: A Personal History and Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity.

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