Category: Events

Please join the Atlantic Council and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines as we welcome Director Morgan Bazilian speaking at a webinar titled Sustainable Minerals for the Energy Transition on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 from 12:30pm – 1:30pm (MT).

The presentation will be a timely public discussion with international leaders working to advance sustainability of critical mineral supply chains.

The global transition towards renewables and advanced energy technologies offers profound opportunities to reduce emissions and improve energy security in providing diverse, low-carbon sources of energy. Yet, as new energy technologies gain momentum, policymakers, industry leaders, and local populations must work together to ensure that the minerals and materials associated with these technologies are extracted and produced in a sustainable manner. The policy pathways and best practices necessary to ensure environmentally sound mining and processing, just treatment for local communities, and net-zero emissions in the mineral lifecycle must come front and center as demand for these minerals continues to grow. In this public panel discussion, global minerals leaders will explore the challenges and opportunities of sustainable mining, highlight emerging best practices, and outline the policies and partnerships that should be encouraged as the minerals industry continues to develop in response to the growth of renewables and clean energy technologies.

This event is part of the Atlantic Council “Raising Ambitions” events series, which focuses on the higher climate ambitions that the Biden Administration hopes to realize at home and abroad. It will evaluate key technologies critical to helping reach these goals, emphasize sectoral approaches to decarbonization, and highlight countries increasing their commitments to climate action. The aim is to build momentum in advance of the summit and encourage increased ambition from public and private sector actors.

Please join this conversation via the web application Zoom, which is accessible through your web browser, the Zoom desktop or mobile app, and by phone. If you wish to join the question and answer period, you must join by app or web. 

Please join Energy vs. Climate and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines as we welcome Ken Caldeira, Gates Ventures, presenting a webinar titled What Can We Know About Energy Futures? on Thursday, April 22, 2021 from 11:00am – 12:00pm (MT).

Climate and energy debates rest on predictions. How many years left to save the planet? How cheap will solar power get? We dive into the dirty world of making such projections. What’s the difference between climate models and energy system models? What do past forecasts tell us about the accuracy of these models? Hint: there’s no shortage of overconfidence.

About your co-hosts:

Ken Caldeira is a highly-cited scientist working on climate and energy systems. He joined Gates Ventures in 2020.  He is also a Senior Staff Scientist (emeritus) in the Carnegie Institution for Science Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University where his research group is engaged primarily in idealized energy system and energy-climate-economic modeling.

David Keith is a professor at Harvard in Engineering and the Kennedy School. He is the founder of Carbon Engineering and was formerly a professor at the University of Calgary. He splits his time between Canmore and Cambridge. 

Sara Hastings-Simon is a senior research associate at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines and a research fellow at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. Prior to that she was the manager of the cleantech practice at McKinsey & Company, and director of Clean Economy at the Pembina Institute.

Ed Whittingham is a clean energy policy/finance consultant and fellow at the Public Policy Forum. He is the former executive director of the Pembina Institute.

Energy vs Climate is a live, interactive webinar, a podcast, and occasional newsletter. If you received this email via forward you can subscribe for future updates at energyvsclimate.com.

Please join Energy vs. Climate and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines as we welcome Amy Meyers Jaffe, Research Professor and Managing Director of the Climacy Lab at Tufts University, presenting a webinar titled Decarbonizing Transportation on Thursday,  April 8, 2021 from 10:00am – 11:00am (MT).

From personal transportation to long haul freight, how fast can we decarbonize, how much will be electrified vs other solutions, and what are the limiting factors affecting the pace of change?  They’ll dig into what the transition will mean for Alberta and Canada in terms of demand for oil, changes to local transportation infrastructure, and the potential to capture a part of the new market. 

They’ll dig into what the transition will mean for Alberta and Canada in terms of demand for oil, changes to local transportation infrastructure, and the potential to capture a part of the new market. 

About your co-hosts:

Amy Myers Jaffe is a leading expert on global energy policy, energy and sustainability, and geopolitical risk. She is a research professor and Managing Director of the Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. A frequent media commentator and former journalist, Jaffe’s research focuses on oil and natural gas geopolitics, corporate investment strategies in the energy sector, sustainability and energy, and energy economics. 

David Keith is a professor at Harvard in Engineering and the Kennedy School. He is the founder of Carbon Engineering and was formerly a professor at the University of Calgary. He splits his time between Canmore and Cambridge. 

Sara Hastings-Simon is a senior research associate at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines and a research fellow at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. Prior to that she was the manager of the cleantech practice at McKinsey & Company, and director of Clean Economy at the Pembina Institute.

Ed Whittingham is a clean energy policy/finance consultant and fellow at the Public Policy Forum. He is the former executive director of the Pembina Institute.

Energy vs Climate is a live, interactive webinar, a podcast, and occasional newsletter. If you received this email via forward you can subscribe for future updates at energyvsclimate.com.

Please join the Inter-American Development Bank and the  Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines as we welcome Dr. Sara Hastings-Simon, Senior Research Associate, presenting a webinar titled Argentina’s Lithium Strategy on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 from 1:15pm – 1:40pm (MT).

This event looks at Argentina’s lithium industry, and its role in the global renewable energy transformation.

Please join the American Association of Geographers and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines as we welcome Dr. Tilottama Ghosh, Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Research Associate, presenting a webinar titled Using Building Volume Per Capita (BVPC) to Assess Spatial Inequality in Denver and Surrounding Counties on Saturday, April 10, 2021 from 2:30pm – 2:45pm (MT).

Sustainability Development Goal 10 (SDG 10) aims at reducing inequality within and among countries. Although many have been lifted out of poverty in the international community, inequality and disparities in health, education and other assets persist. In this study, we examine Building Volume Per Capita (BVPC), that is, cubic meters of building per person as a proxy measure of economic inequality and a direct measure of housing inequality. Earth Observation (EO) data in combination with demographic, and other socio-economic and statistical data are increasingly being used to monitor progress of the SDGs. At first, rasterized building volume data from building footprints, which have been delineated from aerial imagery of 2016 will be made. These data will then be juxtaposed with vector-based census demographic and economic data of 2015, and LandScan raster population count data of 2015. The National Landcover dataset (NLCD) of 2016 will be used to characterize the land cover variability of the areas studied. Using these datasets, the spatial pattern and distribution of BVPC for Denver and surrounding counties will be examined at the 500 m pixel level and census tract level. We would inspect the hypothesis that BVPC is positively related with Median Household Income and negatively related with intensity of development. If these assumptions are demonstrated to be true, BVPC as a measure of inequality could be extended, applied and tested for other study areas.

Please join the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines as we welcome Eric Blank, Chairman, Colorado Public Utilities Commission, presenting a webinar titled Colorado Clean Energy Policy: A Regulatory View on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm (MT).

Eric Blank will discuss his new role on the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC), and the clean energy transition currently underway in Colorado.

Blank was appointed Chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission on December 11, 2020, by Governor Jared Polis for a four-year term effective January 12, 2021. His term expires in January of 2025.  

Blank, a lawyer and economist, has worked on electric utility and clean energy issues for over 35 years in a diverse range of entrepreneurial, business, and non-profit settings.

In 2000, Blank co-founded a pioneering national renewable energy development company, which he ran until three years ago. Blank helped commercialize first wind and then later solar technologies by building some of the earliest and largest clean energy projects outside of California. All told, he has developed 2,000 MW of operating wind and solar projects, representing $4 billion in invested capital.

Blank spent most of the 1990s leading the energy work of a non-profit environmental group, now called Western Resource Advocates. Through PUC interventions in six western states, he helped develop some of the first policies that made utility clean energy investments initially feasible and ultimately cost-effective. Prior to that, Blank was a consultant preparing utility capacity expansion and dispatch modeling studies.

Blank holds a law degree from Yale Law School and a master’s in economics from the London School of Economics.

Please join the Calgary Climate Symposium as they welcome Payne Institute Senior Research Associate Dr. Sara Hastings-Simon, David Keith, and Ed Whittingham, on the Energy vs. Climate series for a webinar titled Rebuilding Alberta’s Energy Sector, Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 11:00am – 12:00pm MT.

As Albertans we want to build Alberta back better. What does this mean for Albertans and Calgarians, the future of jobs in the energy sector, new technologies and the roles of government and industry in addressing climate change? The Energy vs Climate Podcast is partnering with the Calgary Climate Symposium to produce a live symposium podcast, so bring your comments and questions.