Climate change and innovative paths towards a more sustainable future

International lecture given by Professor Steven Chu ForMemRS, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics and former United States Secretary of Energy.

The multiple industrial and agricultural revolutions have transformed the world. However, an unintended consequence of this progress is that we are changing the climate of our planet. In addition to the climate risks, we will need to provide enough clean energy, water and food of a more prosperous world that may grow to 11 billion by 2100. The talk will discuss the significant technical challenges and potential solutions that could provide better paths to a more sustainable future. How we transition from where we are now to where we need to be within 50 years, is arguably the most pressing set of issues that science, innovation and public policy have to address.

Steven Chu is Professor of Physics, Molecular and Cellular Physiology, and Environmental Science and Engineering at Stanford University. He shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics for laser cooling and trapping of atoms. Other contributions include precision atom interferometry, optical tweezers of biomolecules, and the first biological studies using single molecule FRET. His current research is in molecular and cell physiology, medical imaging, nanoparticle synthesis for bioimaging, and battery research. He was US Secretary of Energy from 2009 to 2013. He has 35 honorary degrees, is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and seven foreign academies.

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