During the Spring 2023 semester, EEMI presented four outstanding webinars in its EEMI Distinguished Lecture Series. Summaries and links to these presentations are provided below.
Date: January 11, 2020
Topic: Will Nuclear Save the green Transition?
Speaker: Dr. Alfredo Caro
In this presentation, Dr. Alfredo Caro provided a broad overview of nuclear technology at present, its challenges and opportunities as seen in different parts of the world, the most advanced examples being developed worldwide, and the news in this field that captures the attention of the public, the press, and the investors. Climate change and the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, threatening the global energy and food supply, are among the most severe challenges facing society today – making it imperative to transition from fossil energy to secure, resilient, clean, and lower-cost energy sources. But, transitioning from an economy built on energy-dense, transportable but climate-unfriendly fossil fuels vulnerable to geopolitical conflicts to one based on locally-generated but less dense and intermittent sources, such as wind and solar, requires a massive global transformation in all sectors of the economy.
At a time when technology is changing at the fastest rate in all human history, the role nuclear energy is called to play in the de-carbonization of electricity production is unclear, with voices for and against its expansion. After all, nuclear is a dense and constant energy source, so it addresses wind and solar’s intermittency and density challenges.
However, nuclear energy as we know it (i.e., large reactors), faces serious obstacles, including safety, waste disposal, cost, overruns, and its history of construction delays. Small and modular reactors might come to the rescue via in-house manufacturing and shorter deployment times. Also, in its several variants, fusion is claimed to be an option to be considered within the time scale imposed by climate change.
Dr. Alfredo Caro, an EEMI Visiting Scholar, was the Director of the Atomic Center and Balseiro Institute in Bariloche, Argentina; he worked for the European Fusion Program at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland and the DOE Fusion Program at Lawrence Livermore National labs.
At the Los Alamos National Laboratory, he led the Science of Nuclear Materials and Fuels Team within the Materials Science and Technology Division.
Most recently, he was Program Director at the National Science Foundation, responsible for the Materials Science and Engineering Centers and the Partnership for Research and Education in Materials Programs.
Date: January 19, 2023
Topic: Anthropocene Accountability Litigation: Confronting Common Enemies to Promote a Just Transition
Speaker: Randall S. Abate, EEMI Director of Environmental Law and Policy; Assistant Dean for Environmental Law Studies, GW School of Law
In this presentation, Professor Abate offered a new perspective in the quest for climate justice. Myriad accountability lawsuits in the U.S. have been filed against the fossil fuel and industrial animal agriculture industries in the past few years, but these efforts have proceeded without coordination between the environmental and animal law fields. There has been no scholarly inquiry that unites the efforts to seek relief from “common enemies” for exacerbating the climate change crisis while profiting from their operations.
Professor Abate reviewed the climate change impacts from the fossil fuel and industrial animal agriculture industries and examines how federal regulatory gaps and subsidies enable and exacerbate the climate change impacts from these industries. He then reviewed legal theories in common law accountability litigation against these industries that seek damages for the harm these industries cause to public health and welfare, the environment, and animals.
Prof. Abate proposes that accountability litigation against fossil fuel and industrial animal agriculture industries can facilitate a transition away from reliance on fossil fuels and factory farms to more sustainable alternatives. Positive outcomes from several related contexts including tobacco litigation, the phaseout of harmful substances in environmental regulation, and the COVID-19 crisis support the urgent need for this “just transition.”
Presentation Link: Anthropocene Accountability Litigation
Date: June 8, 2023
Topic: Low Carbon Energy Community Advisory Board
Speaker: Ian Parke, Co-Chair of the Low Carbon Energy Community Advisory Board, United Kingdom
The Low Carbon Energy Community Advisory Board is an organization based in the United Kingdom that promotes zero or low carbon energy, including hydrogen, nuclear, renewables (onshore & offshore) & hydropower.
The Board drives a knowledge program that draws on learning from across the world to build a body of relevant, reliable knowledge on energy infrastructure development with an emphasis on clean energy, aligning with UN SDG 7 to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.
Created through experience, analysis, insight and science, the program aims to enhance the technical competence and understanding of engineering professionals so that they can identify and shape the engineering solutions needed to solve the challenges we face.
Presentation Link: Low Carbon Energy Community Advisory Board
Date: June 30, 2023
Topic: From Budapest to Washington: Examining the Erosion of Democracy
Speakers: Zoltan Kasz, former member of the Hungarian Parliament, and Ambassador Andras Simonyi, EEMI Distinguished Visiting Scholar conducted an enlightening exploration of the challenges faced by democratic systems in the E.U. and U.S.
Zoltan Kasz is a former member of the Hungarian parliament, a fervent advocate for democratic principles, and the Government Affairs Manager of the Consumer Choice Center, a global movement promoting consumer advocacy. Andras Simonyi is a former Hungarian Ambassador to the United Sates and NATO.
This captivating webinar was an enlightening exploration of the challenges faced by democratic systems in the EU and US, shedding light on the paramount issue of threats to democracy in Europe and the United States. It brought together two distinguished global security leaders to share their perspectives on crucial security topics. They discussed integrity in the 2024 US and European Parliament elections, potential ramifications for democratic values of China's increasing global influence, TikTok's potential risks to privacy, and the intricate dynamics between global powers.
