Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Nicole Smith and faculty at Virginia Tech, and the National University of Colombia co-teach a class on Sustainable Development and Earth Resources. The class, which focuses on sustainable development and earth resources, was selected by SDSN as a case study for integrating the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into resource engineering education. October 13, 2021.
Payne Institute Director Morgan D. Bazilian is honoured to be appointed as a new member to the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC). A critical part of Ireland’s transition to a low carbon society is the provision of accurate and timely advice. The CCAC needs to have a broad and diverse balance of skills and experience that will advise Government on both carbon budgets and progress on implementation of the climate action plan. October 13, 2021.
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how a plant threatened with closure in a Colorado town is hiring again after switching to renewables. For its developers the project is a shining example of the energy transition. October 11, 2021.
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article on how the demand for coal is moving back near peak levels. Across the world, fossil fuels are making a remarkable comeback as a super-charged recovery from the pandemic boosts demand. For all the green energy promises and plans, that transition is in its infancy, and the world still leans heavily on fossils. October 10, 2021.
Payne Institute Communications Associate Brooke Bowser, Program Manager Laura Singer, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology has again become popular in discussions on how to combat climate change, but the associated midstream infrastructure necessary to support an energy transition remains underdeveloped and often overlooked. October 6, 2021.
Colorado School of Mines Professor Craig Brice, Payne Institute Director Morgan D. Bazilian, and Brooke Bowser write about how the manufacturing industry is adopting new technologies and practices in order to remain competitive in today’s growing trend of digitalization. Similar to the invention of the steam engine or the adoption of the assembly line, such changes have the potential to change our economies. Advances in additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, are essential to what some are describing as The Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0. October 4, 2021.
Payne Advisory Board Member Mimi Alemayehou, Katie Auth, Murefu Barasa, Director Morgan Bazilian, Fellow Brad Handler, Uzo Iweala, Fellow Todd Moss, Rose Mutiso, and Zainab Usman write answer the question why do we need to reframe climate justice for development? They propose six basic principles to help development funders support inclusive and equitable energy transitions in the poorest countries. September 28, 2021.
Payne Institute Fellow Dustin Mulvaney and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the solar industry must work with governments to clean up the solar supply chain. The rapid growth of the solar energy industry has seen in recent years is expected to continue. Solar is now one of the cheapest power sources available globally, but its long-term sustainability has been threatened by allegations of forced labour and coal use by some silicon producers that supply the solar panel industry. September 28, 2021.
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian has been appointed as an author for the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) that will be published in 2023. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) was established by Presidential initiative in 1989 and mandated by Congress in the Global Change Research Act (GCRA) of 1990. Its mandate is to develop and coordinate “a comprehensive and integrated United States research program which will assist the Nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change.” USGCRP comprises 13 federal agencies that conduct or use research on global change and its impacts on society. It functions under the direction of the Subcommittee on Global Change Research of the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on Environment. September 22, 2021.
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Researcher Brad Handler, and Katie Auth write about how the International Energy Agency projects a need to phase out all unabated coal-fired power plants by 2040 to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century. This has significant potential implications for emerging markets. Options include three public-private mechanisms discussed, each of which requires some form of concessionary public capital or guarantee. September 20, 2021.