Science, Technology, and Public Policy

Join us for a conversation about science, diplomacy, and geopolitics with Arctic Initiative Senior Fellow Fran Ulmer and Professor and Director of The Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping at the University of New Hampshire Larry Mayer. Professor Mayer led the science team onboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy, which just completed a cruise from Alaska to Greenland through the Northwest Passage. Please register to attend this event here. 

Speakers: 

• Mr. Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Secretary, Ministry of Power, Government of India
• Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi; India
• Prof. Johannes Urpelainen, Founding Director, Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy (ISEP), Johns Hopkins University, Washington D.C.
• Mr. Ranjit Bharvirkar, Principal and India Program Director, Regulatory Assistance Project, Vermont

Moderated by Professor John P. Holdren,  Co-Director,  Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program

The seminar will begin with an introduction of the Science, Technology, & Public Policy Program and its focus on India's energy decarbonization and then each speaker will present for 15 minutes. This will be followed by a panel discussion and question and answer session moderated by Prof. John P. Holdren.

Coffee & Tea will be provided.

Co-sponsored by the Consortium of Energy Policy Research

Speaker: Robert Swartz, National Nuclear Security Administration

This talk will be a discussion of the S. Asia facing engagement programs sponsored by NNSA with the goal of building nuclear stability and reducing the nuclear danger in South Asia.

A talk with Microsoft Director of Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy, Angela McKay.

Minister Jairam Ramesh is a Fisher Family Fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project and a leader in international climate negotiations. A Member of Parliament from Andhra Pradesh, Ramesh was chief negotiator for India at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 to 18 December 2009. He has been a leading figure in international climate diplomacy for years. In this Project on Managing the Atom Seminar, Ramesh will examine India's Nuclear Energy Policy and Climate Change.

Are there any circumstances under which China can be more transparent regarding nuclear deterrence and ambiguity? MTA fellow Han Hua will present a seminar on the implications of this questions. This seminar will also touch upon U.S. strategic posturing and China's attitude towards transparency.

Coffee and tea provided. Please join us - Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

In his book, The Power of Promise, Dr. M.V. Ramana makes a historically nuanced and compelling argument as to why the nuclear energy program in India has failed in the past and why its future is dubious. Dr. Ramana will discuss this book in this joint South Asia Institute/Project on Managing the Atom Seminar.

A discussion with author Laura Rockwood about the IAEA Safeguards and the Additional Protocol.

Coffee and tea provided. Please join us - Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

Mr. Saxton will elaborate on the mission of AFRICOM, which entails coordinating the kind of support that will enable African governments and existing regional organizations to have greater capacity to provide security and respond in times of need. Mr. Saxton will discuss the interplay between security and development in Africa and how a new model for civil-military cooperation can contribute to both.

Please join us! Everyone is welcome!

U.S. transportation policy is changing rapidly, motivated by concerns over climate change and energy security. Not only are economy-wide CO2 prices expected to soon be in place, but increasingly stringent performance-based standards are being proposed. Using the National Energy Modeling System, the Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group has analyzed the impact of economy-wide CO2 prices in combination with transportation sector specific policy options including transportation (fuel) taxes, extended fuel economy standards, and performance-based tax credits. The results suggest that the policy options currently considered will fail to meet the "17% of 2005" GHG emissions reduction target in the Waxman-Markey Bill, or even the Obama administration's "14% of 2005" GHG emissions target. Economy-wide CO2 prices motivate large reductions in CO2 emissions from the electrical power sector but do not, on their own, result in significant reductions in CO2 emissions from transportation. Transportation taxes appear to be the most effective option for reducing GHG emissions, largely because they reduce vehicle use in addition to improving vehicle technology. On the other hand, tax credits for alternative-fuel vehicles appear to be an expensive and ineffective path to reducing CO2 emissions from transportation.

Beverages will be provided. Please come ready to discuss...