The Climate, Energy and Environment (CEE) Series offers events that showcase research in alternative energy sources and fuels, the impact of climate change and environmental tragedies on Earth, and the conservation and sustainability of the Earth’s resources.
Previous CEE events have covered biofuels, climate change, solar energy, Chicago’s water supply, CO2 storage, and research in the Arctic.
Distinguished speakers have included former Under Secretary for Science, U.S. Department of Energy Steve Koonin, Ph.D.; Maria Zuber, Ph.D., Chair of the National Science Board and Vice President for Research and E.A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics, MIT; and Kelly Kenison Falkner, Ph.D., Director of the Office of Polar Programs, U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and Director of the U.S. Antarctic Program.
Lake Michigan is Chicago’s pride and joy. Chicago and the region have a long relationship with our lakefront and the Chicago River.
Our water has driven our economy, made us a destination for visitors, and ensured we have an adequate water supply. From reversing the Chicago River to building the deep tunnel, managing water has been a driver for Chicago to innovate and reinvent our world.
Continue reading “Water: Chicago in the 21st Century and Beyond”
Many Americans want to start now to develop alternatives to burning fossilized carbon. Solar energy is one of those options. This presentation will provide a back-of-the-envelope analysis of what it would take to power the entire U.S. economy with solar energy.
Continue reading “Should America Launch a Major Push into Solar Energy?”
Why should businesses invest in nature?
Because it is one of the smartest investments they can make, according to Mark Tercek. The services that nature provides— clean water, air, and protection from storms, floods, and other disasters— can help businesses reduce costs, mitigate risks, and protect assets. Continue reading “Nature’s Fortune”
Climate security has brought environmentalists and militaries across the world into a unique accord: both are concerned by the effects that climate change does and will have on existing situations of insecurity. The U.S. Department of Defense declared the threat of climate change impacts a very serious national security vulnerability that, among other things, could enable further terrorist activity. They deem climate change a “threat multiplier.”
Continue reading “The Multiplication of Threats: Climate Change & the Risks to National Security”
Energy is a basic foundation of human society, like food, shelter, communication and mobility. A new international energy landscape is emerging as developing countries create their energy infrastructures and as energy technologies move away from fossil toward more sustainable sources and uses. Continue reading “The Price of Doing Nothing: The World’s Energy Future”
On December 2, 1942, 49 scientists, led by Enrico Fermi, made history when Chicago Pile 1 (CP-1) went critical and produced the world’s first self-sustaining, controlled nuclear chain reaction.
Continue reading “CP-1 the Past, Present & Future of Nuclear Energy”
