Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

UD professor hopes to influence climate policy at COP21

Delaware Public Media

 

Monday marks the first day of the Paris climate talks, as leaders from all over the world come together to discuss taking action on climate change.

University of Delaware professor and head of UD’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy John Byrne will be among the experts taking part.

In Paris, he'll recommend a couple of goals he feels the U.S. should adopt to mitigate climate change risks.

First, he says energy consumption needs to be 50 percent more efficient by 2030. Second, he says 15 to 20 percent of energy should come from solar by 2050.

 

“Those kinds of targets until now have been mostly implemented by national government action, which has been slow," said Byrne.

 

Instead, he recommends engaging states and cities to try and meet those targets faster.

Many leaders and scientists have been cautiously optimistic about the Paris talks, especially given some of the steps that big greenhouse gas producers, like the U.S., have taken recently on reducing emissions.

But recent events in Paris have made people like Byrne worry that the conference may not be able to be as ambitious as they'd hoped.

“I was more confident before the problems of terror visited Paris and it’s going to be difficult, I just wonder if leaders will be able to focus on this issue at this difficult time," said Byrne.

But he hopes security issues won’t distract leaders from taking action against the threats climate change will pose, especially for the poor.

“Many of the most vulnerable people to this problem are the least capable of solving the problem," said Byrne.

The climate talks conclude in Paris on December 11th.

 

Related Content