2016 AAAS Annual Meeting (February 11-15, 2016)

February 10 - 15, 2016

Accelerating Energy-Climate Innovation

Technological innovation since the first Industrial Revolution is the proximate cause of climate change, and innovation in technical and social systems is the necessary route to mitigation. Different countries will choose different paths, with varying emphases on research into new low-carbon or zero-carbon energy sources and adoption, adaptation, and refinement of existing technologies. Since research does not automatically find its way to large-scale applications, several decades may pass before innovations begin to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions substantially. Sensible policies will address both research and diffusion, in the form of technological and social learning by individuals and organizations. Speakers in this session report on approaches taken in countries with significantly different energy systems and policy approaches, varying in emphasis on speeding advances in energy-climate technologies and the take-up of these technologies.