Technology and Policy Analysis: Perspectives from Energy and Environmental Systems

Meeting the challenge of climate change will require a fundamental restructuring of the energy system that transforms it from a system that is carbon intensive to one which emits little or no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere.  There are considerable uncertainties about how this can best be done, what it will cost, what risks are entailed, and how the necessary transformation can best be achieved.  However, the presence of risk and uncertainty is not a reason for inaction.  This talk will discuss a number of the key uncertainties about individual energy technologies as well as system-wide uncertainties about how the energy system may evolve and some of the risks of acting and not acting to transform the system.  Strategies for moving forward to a low carbon energy future will be suggested.  Work supported by NSF (SES-0949710).