Thank you to Chris Hendrickson, Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering Emeritus, Carnegie Mellon University, who presented Accelerating Deep Decarbonization of US Transportation Modes at the Transportation Seminar Feb. 23, 2024.
Abstract: Climate change is already causing large damages from sea level rise, drought, and extreme weather. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (often called ‘decarbonization’ reflecting the role of carbon dioxide in greenhouse warming) is imperative if these costs are to be mitigated or reduced. This seminar will draw on work from the National Research Council’s Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States study committee reports as well as the speaker’s personal views. Policy actions include (1) Improve energy efficiency and productivity, (2) Electrify transportation as much as possible, (3) Decarbonize power generation, (4) Build critical network infrastructure, (5) Mitigate non-energy greenhouse gas emissions and (6) Innovate to create a net-zero toolkit. At the same time, the US should pursue socio-economic goals to insure just and sustainable transitions.
Bio: Chris Hendrickson is the Hamerschlag University professor emeritus, the director of the Traffic 21 Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and the editor-in-chief of the ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering (Systems). Hendrickson’s research, teaching, and consulting are in the general area of engineering planning and management, including transportation systems, sustainability, system performance, construction project management, finance and computer applications.