Research

EarthTalks speaker looks at swapping current energy system for a low-carbon one

Feb. 15 talk in the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute series features Princeton University Professor Rob Socolow

Rob Socolow, professor emeritus in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University, will discuss the urgency and pitfalls of swapping the current energy system for a low-carbon one at 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. Credit: Bernd Haupt / PixabayAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Shifting from an energy system dominated by oil and gas to one centered around renewables is urgently needed, but it comes with its own set of challenges. Rob Socolow, professor emeritus in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University, will discuss the urgency and pitfalls of swapping the current energy system for a low-carbon one at 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15. The talk, which is free and open to the public, will be broadcast via Zoom.

Socolow is recognized as a leader in establishing energy and environmental problems as legitimate research interests in the field of physics. He was an early advocate of interdisciplinary environmental research and co-directed Princeton’s Carbon Mitigation Initiative from 2000 to his retirement in 2019. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, recipient of the 2005 Axelson Johnson Commemorative Lecture award from the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, among other honors and awards.

Socolow’s talk is part of the spring 2021 EarthTalks series, “Energy and climate policy: How to avoid a global hothouse.” The series focuses on policies and technology that could help slow down global warming and addresses topics such as carbon taxes, renewable energy subsidies and the feasibility of carbon sequestration. For more information about the spring 2021 series, visit the EarthTalks website.

Last Updated February 8, 2021