Climate Change & Energy Policy Conference at WVU College of Law

National Energy Conference on December 1st to Focus on Climate Change

From an Article by Chelsi Baker, WVU College of Law, November 12, 2018

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — The 2018 National Energy Conference at WVU Law on December 1st will focus on climate change.

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend. Online registration is required at: energy.law.wvu.edu/nec18

Topics to be discussed at the conference include the latest developments in climate change issues, climate change communication, controlling methane emissions, putting a price on carbon, and solar energy opportunities and obstacles. The speakers are national and regional experts from industry, public policy organizations, environmental groups, and academia.

Emily Calandrelli, an Emmy-nominated science TV host, will deliver the keynote speech. She is a correspondent on “Bill Nye Saves the World” on Netflix and an executive producer and host of FOX’s “Xploration Outer Space.” Calandrelli is a 2010 WVU graduate.

Rafe Pomerance, chairman of Arctic 21 and former president of Friends of the Earth, will deliver the conference’s closing remarks.

The 2018 National Energy Conference is hosted by WVU Law’s Center for Energy and Sustainable Development, Friends of Blackwater, and the Appalachian Stewardship Foundation.

According to law professor James Van Nostrand, director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development, it is important to have honest communication about climate change to learn about climate science and how to make climate-friendly policy choices.

“Experts agree on the importance of controlling greenhouse gas emissions, and bipartisan efforts have paved the way for financial incentives for climate-friendly technologies,” said Van Nostrand. “But citizens, public agencies, businesses, scientists and community leaders must all play an informed role in addressing climate change to help fully tackle the technical, legal, financial, regulatory and political aspects of the issue.”

Among the conference speakers are Kurt Waltzer of the Clean Air Task Force; Andrew Williams of the Environmental Defense Fund; Kenneth Davis, professor of atmospheric science at Pennsylvania State University; Autumn Long of Solar United Neighbors; Amy Hessl, a WVU geographer and paleoclimatologist; Joshua Fershee, a WVU law professor; Jim Probst of the Citizen’s Climate Lobby; and Michael Svoboda, a professor at George Washington University.

- WVU College of Law -

Tagged as: carbon dioxide, carbon tax, climate change, coal, energy policy, fracking, greenhouse gases, methane, natural gas, WVU College of Law