Colloquium Theme: The Global South, Common Sustainability Challenges (Causes and Solutions)

A very clear scientific message has emerged from the work over the past decade on climate science and anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions: reduce the environmental burden by roughly 90% in 3 - 4 decades. This target requires a complete 'reboot' of how energy and economic systems are envisioned and implemented. Beyond a needed tighter relationship between life-cycle energy costs and benefits, and beyond an also necessary true integration of social science and behavioral research,  the social and environmental impacts of energy systems must become the crux of the development and deployment process.  To do this, working examples at all scales will be needed.  In this talk, we explore viable, transformative examples of this reconfiguration from household to national and regional scale.

Daniel Kammen is the Class of 1935 Distinguished Professor in the Energy and Resources Group. Kammen directs the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) and the Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC) at the University of California, Berkeley.  During 2010 – 2011 Kammen served as the first Chief Technical Specialist for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. Kammen is the author of over 300 peer-reviewed papers, 50 government reports, and has testified in front of the US House and Senate more than 40 times. Kammen’s work is focused on developing the tools and implementing projects to design low-carbon energy, food, and land-use systems globally.  He conducts field research on sustainable energy systems with Native American/First Peoples in North America, in East Africa, Central America, and in Southeast Asia.

Colloquium Coordinator: Amir Gohar, PhD Candidate in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning