Physics RB Talk by Brian Siana

Fossil fuels provide the energy that drives our society but they are also increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and warming the planet. We need to decrease emissions of greenhouse gases in the next few decades in order to avoid the worst effects of climate change. With so many aspects of our society requiring energy, how do we address them all and at such a large scale? I will review the landscape of energy use in our society and demonstrate that basic physics principles point us naturally towards solutions that eliminate most of our emissions.