China’s economy is growing fast, and China’s demand for energy is growing right along with it. To accommodate this growth in a sustainable manner, China must move away from a largely coal-based energy portfolio. If it does not, the already severe environmental impacts of large-scale coal usage will continue to grow with possible devastating consequences. Professor Tony Kovscek believes there is hope in China if it turns to energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy sources. This podcast was taped at Stanford University, and was part of the 2007 MADE IN CHINA lecture series.

You may not be aware that coalfires, both natural and man-made, generate large amounts of carbon dioxide. In China alone, the estimated amount equals that of the U.S. transportation sector! Meet Taku Ide, a PhD student at Stanford University, who is on a quest to extinguish these fires.

Global warming is happening, and one of the culprits is likely increased emission levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as a result of our energy usage. Lynn Orr is director of the Global Climate and Energy Project and one of the world’s leading experts on global warming and CO2 emissions. He says we need to take urgent action now to reduce the risk of a global catastrophe, by increasing energy efficiency, investing in energy resources such as wind and solar with low emissions, and researching potential carbon dioxide sequestration processes.

This talk was part of the “End of Oil” debate, at Stanford University in March 2006.