The effects of global energy use on the climate and the impact climate change will have on future generations are among the topics to be discussed during an Aug. 30 symposium at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
"The Global Energy Crisis: Climate Change, Mitigation and Adaptation," will be presented in the University Memorial Center, room 235, at 6 p.m. The event is the 12th annual CU-Boulder Graduate School symposium, traditionally held on the first Thursday of the new fall semester.
Panelists also will discuss the difficulty of communicating the urgency of climate and energy issues to the public and will present highlights from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007 assessment report.
"I strongly encourage people who are interested in the critical energy issues that we will be facing in the coming decades to attend this symposium," said Russell Moore, associate vice chancellor for research of the CU-Boulder Graduate School.
Panelists will include Susan Solomon, senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Research Laboratory; Susan Avery, former vice chancellor for research and dean of the graduate school, CIRES fellow and professor of electrical and computer engineering; Patricia Limerick, faculty director and chair of the board of CU-Boulder's Center of the American West and professor of history; Heidi VanGenderen, senior adviser on climate change and energy from the Colorado Governor's Office of Policy and Initiatives; and Doug Arent, director of strategic energy analysis at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Panelists will offer their perspectives in 15-minute presentations.
Carl Koval, director of CU-Boulder's renewable energy initiative, will moderate the panel. Stein Sture, vice chancellor for research and dean of the Graduate School, will give the welcome message.
"The purpose of the symposium is to get people thinking about the issues surrounding climate change, and our campus has a wealth of people who are on top of this issue so this is a chance to hear from some of them," Koval said. "I think our campus is ideally positioned to embrace this challenge because we have the climate people, we have strong sciences and we have people in our business and law schools who are interested in these issues."
Solomon, who studies chlorofluorocarbons and the ozone hole, will present highlights from the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment report. VanGenderen will discuss carbon impacts on climate and Avery will examine Colorado's climate action plans and policies.
In addition, Limerick will focus on how climate and energy issues are communicated to the public and Arent will discuss research programs at NREL that are designed to examine financial and resource issues affecting the implementation of renewable energy technologies.
Parking will be available in the Euclid Avenue Autopark, just east of the UMC. For more information call (303) 492-2889.