Ep. 62: Can We Get to Zero Carbon?

Nathaniel Rich argues that an appeal to rationality is not sufficient to motivate the level of transformational change that's required to deal with the climate change crisis. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Can we get to zero carbon? That’s that’s the big question. And an energy future with zero carbon emissions seems like a reasonable goal in light of the recent dire climate warnings. But is it even a feasible goal? And what would it take to get there?

At a public event  in Pittsburgh, a distinguished panel waded into the possibilities, obstacles and potential solutions.

The panelists: Paulina Jaramillo, associate professor of engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University and co-director of the Green Design Institute; Ivonne Peña, an energy analyst who has worked for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the U.S. and the Colombia's Energy and Gas Regulatory Commission; and Greg Reed, a professor of electric power engineering at the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering, and director of Pitt's Center for Energy and the Energy GRID Institute.

 Reid Frazier moderated the panel discussion.

LISTEN to the entire discussion:

Trump on EarthTrump, public lands, podcast, Ryan Zinke, climate denier, People's Climate Movement, Green New Deal, global warming, environmental regulations, Environmental Protection Agency