Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu spoke with Northwestern students and faculty Wednesday about current obstacles to achieving net-zero emissions and potential technological improvements that could help lower emissions.
Now a professor at Stanford University, Chu won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 for using lasers to cool and trap atoms and served as former President Barack Obama’s energy secretary from 2009 to 2013.
At the event, hosted by the Institute for Policy Research and the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy, Chu said researchers should work to develop better technology to achieve net-zero emissions. However, he acknowledged it will be a difficult task due to the cost of materials and the need for better technology to achieve these new innovations — which will take a long time to produce results.
“We absolutely have to try, but don’t be fooled into thinking by 2050 we’re carbon neutral,” Chu said.
Chu suggested developing better renewable batteries, building more wooden structures and exploring a new potential carbon capture method as potential strategies that may help achieve the goal of net-zero carbon emissions.
At the end of the event, Trienens Institute Executive Director Ted Sargent said the institute would plant a tree on campus to commemorate Chu’s visit to Northwestern. He said the tree will symbolize a commitment to sustainability in the future.
“As the seed grows, we’ll be reminded of the inspiration (Chu) planted here today,” Sargent said.
IPR Director and Sociology Prof. Andrew Papachristos said he hoped attendees walked away from Chu’s presentation with a better understanding of how science and government policy intersect to solve global issues.
“Part of it’s going to be nerds at benches and labs, right?” Papachristos said. “And part of it’s going to be nerds thinking about social science, political science, sociology, economics and how those are going to shape the way people behave.”
Papachristos said he hoped the joint effort between the IPR and the Trienens Institute to organize Chu’s visit helps make connections between policy and technology.
He added that talking about climate change is a good way to highlight this intersection.
“(Climate change) is the macro policy issue out there,” Papachristos said. “There’s not a bigger one, not a more important one. And so really starting to have those conversations in new ways is kind of why we did (the event).”
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