Science, Technology, and Public Policy

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.

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.

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.

This presentation is based on the speaker's analysis of the implications of India's call for energy-intensive growth for removing poverty and inequity in respect of the twin challenges of environmental sustainability and energy security in India.

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

This research explores state-level variation in perceptions of and discourse on carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology and wind technology. The results are based primarily on comparative media analysis of state-level newspapers. The news media plays an important role in developing the public's perceptions of risks and benefits of emerging technologies because the media plays an interpretive function linking technical assessments of experts to the psychological assessments of laypersons. Different state-level perceptions of and discourse on risks and benefits of emerging energy technologies are likely contributing to energy technology deployment decisions.

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

Chikkatur will outline the status of coal resource assessment and extraction in India, and will then discuss key issues that need to be addressed in order to ensure sustainable development of the coal and coal power sectors in India.  He will also highlight policy options derived from a series of workshops in India.

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

Zhao will present her analysis of the thermodynamic efficiency, environmental performance, and differences in capital cost and overall cost of electricity for a variety of advanced coal power technologies in the Chinese context. She will specifically discuss the economic gaps between IGCC and other advanced coal power technologies and compare twelve different power plant configurations using advanced coal power technologies.

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