Date/Time: 2021-09-22T15:00:00Z → 2021-09-22T16:00:00Z
Location: Online
Description: Dr. Varun Rai, a noted expert on energy transition and adoption of sustainable energy technologies, will discuss decarbonization efforts at this seminar hosted by the W&J Center for Energy Policy and Management. Rai is a professor in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, where he directs the Energy Systems Transformation Research Group and is the director of the university’s Energy Institute.
Decarbonization of our energy sources is necessary to drastically reduce the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that contribute to climate change. The Paris agreement, of which the U.S. is a member, is an international treaty with the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. To achieve this long-term temperature goal, countries aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate neutral world by mid-century.
This will involve reducing or eliminating the use of fossil fuels, switching fuel sources, adoption of more renewable sources of energy, rapid technology improvements, and government commitment.
Dr. Rai will speak about the basics of decarbonization, the technologies to achieve an energy transition, and the policies and pathways that are available to encourage rapid adoption.