Seth B. Darling, Ph.D. Argonne National Labs (ANL)
Science & Technology / Climate & Weather
Presentation Delivered on Thu, Jan 28 2016 8:00 PM EST — Thu, Jan 28 2016 9:30 PM EST
Short Answers to Hard Questions About Climate Change (NYT)
Climate Disruption: What We Can Do
Have you ever heard someone say that climate change is simply the result of natural cycles? Or that there can’t be global warming because it still gets so cold out? While the claims climate-change deniers make can seem, on their surface, quite plausible, they simply don’t hold up against the evidence: Beyond a shadow of a doubt, science proves that climate change is real and primarily human-driven. But the next time a skeptic puts you on the spot, will you know what to say to end the argument?
Seth Darling dismantles all the most pernicious misunderstandings using the strongest explanations science has to offer. Armed with airtight arguments, you’ll never be at a loss for words again―no matter how convincing or unexpected the misconception you’re faced with. And with our planet’s future in our hands, the time to change minds is now: The sooner we can agree, once and for all, that climate change is a significant threat to our well-being, the sooner we can start to do something about it.
Profile: Seth B. Darling is a Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory and a Fellow at the Institute for Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago. After receiving his PhD from the University of Chicago in Physical Chemistry, he joined Argonne National Laboratory as the Glenn Seaborg Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow in the Materials Science Division where he studied directed self-assembly of polymers and polymer/nanoparticle hybrid systems. Following his postdoc, Darling joined the Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne as a staff scientist. His group’s research centers around polymer molecular engineering with a particular emphasis on organic solar cells. He also serves as the solar energy strategy leader for Argonne, through which he interfaces with a spectrum of internal scientists, engineers, and managers as well as external domestic and international stakeholders in industry, government, museums and foundations, national laboratories, market analysis firms, academia, and the media.
Seth Darling dismantles all the most pernicious misunderstandings using the strongest explanations science has to offer. Armed with airtight arguments, you’ll never be at a loss for words again―no matter how convincing or unexpected the misconception you’re faced with. And with our planet’s future in our hands, the time to change minds is now: The sooner we can agree, once and for all, that climate change is a significant threat to our well-being, the sooner we can start to do something about it.
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This past May 22 -31, 2015, Seth spoke at The Real Truth About Health 10 day Conference. It was a conference of 28 leading health and environmental authors. He spoke individually and on panels and also did an off stage interview. All 80 lectures, panels and interviews are available to you for free. No signing up, no passwords. Just click the link and start watching.
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2015 Was Warmest Year of Record
Last year was the warmest ever by a sizable margin, while 15 of the last 16 years have all notched record temperatures
WRAL Documentary POWER SWITCH: The Growth of Solar
If you’ve driven just about anywhere in North Carolina you’ve surely noticed all the new solar farms popping up. Our state ranks second in the nation in new solar production and fourth in solar capacity. In 2014 more than $650 million was invested in solar installation with nearly 200 companies involved in solar power production employing about 5,600 people.
Our state’s first large scale commercial wind farm is also under construction in the northeastern corner of the state and studies are being done to determine the viability of offshore wind power generation.A new WRAL Documentary “Power Switch” examines the explosive growth of solar power in North Carolina, some of the reasons behind it and some of the controversies that have emerged with its growth. It also takes viewers on a sneak peek of construction of our state’s first large scale commercial wind farm, provides a preview of what the massive project will look like when completed in late 2016 and explores the emerging wind power industry in our state.
“Power Switch," hosted by WRAL News anchor Bill Leslie, aired Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at 7 p.m on WRAL-TV. Producer/writer Clay Johnson. Photographer/editor Jay Jennings.
The End of Thirst
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| How we will find enough water for a warming planet |
Imagine turning on your tap and seeing no water come out. Or looking down into your village’s only well and finding it dust-dry. Much of the developing world could soon face such a scenario. According to the United Nations, 1.2 billion people already suffer from severe water shortages, and that number is expected to increase to 1.8 billion over the next decade, in part because of climate change.
Developed countries probably won’t be immune. California and other states in the western U.S. are already experiencing extreme drought, and climate experts warn of even worse to come—multi-decade megadroughts. Mass migrations and wars over freshwater loom as real possibilities. READ more....
WHAT’S THIS ABOUT SOLAR ELECTRIC “CRASHING” IN SOME STATES?!
WEDNESDAY, January 13, 2016 at 7:30 pm, the Community Church of Chapel Hill, UU, 106 Purefoy Road, Chapel Hill
Balance & Accuracy in Journalism presents NANCY LAPLACA, NCWARN Energy Policy Analyst and DR. TOM HENKEL, Solar Developer, President of Henkel Solar, Inc. speaking on that topic and on "What’s Going Right on the Solar Front"
The speakers will be working briskly on two fronts as political barriers persist and cost of renewables continues to drop.
NCWARN’s policy advocacy has recently taken the form of an emergency appeal to NC Attorney General Roy Cooper to update Duke Power’s charter and end the utility's challenge of a solar electric installation at a Greensboro church. See newly released “Faith in Solar.”
http://www.ncwarn.org/emergencyclimateresponse/
Balance & Accuracy in Journalism presents NANCY LAPLACA, NCWARN Energy Policy Analyst and DR. TOM HENKEL, Solar Developer, President of Henkel Solar, Inc. speaking on that topic and on "What’s Going Right on the Solar Front"
The speakers will be working briskly on two fronts as political barriers persist and cost of renewables continues to drop.
NCWARN’s policy advocacy has recently taken the form of an emergency appeal to NC Attorney General Roy Cooper to update Duke Power’s charter and end the utility's challenge of a solar electric installation at a Greensboro church. See newly released “Faith in Solar.”
http://www.ncwarn.org/emergencyclimateresponse/
The EPA Finally Admitted That the World’s Most Popular Pesticide Kills Bees—20 Years Too Late
MOTHER JONES
| Thu Jan. 7, 2016 2:08 PM EST
Bees are dying in record numbers—and now the government admits that an extremely common pesticide is at least partially to blame.
For more than a decade, the Environmental Protection Agency has been under pressure from environmentalists and beekeepers to reconsider its approval of a class of insecticides called neonicotinoids, based on a mounting body of research suggesting they harm bees and other pollinators at tiny doses. In a report released Wednesday, the EPA basically conceded the case. READ More....
Chatham Conservation Partnership Meeting (Health of Our Rivers)
Meeting Date & Details: January 21, 2016 at 9:00am to noon at the Agriculture Building Auditorium, 65 East Chatham St. in Pittsboro. The meeting is free and open to the general public. No need to register - just show up!
Come learn about the health of our rivers! The rivers of Chatham County provide important natural resources for our community, including fish and wildlife habitat, recreation opportunities, and drinking water.
They will have two speakers for our next quarterly meeting on January 21 at the Chatham County Cooperative Extension Office auditorium in Pittsboro. Elaine Chiosso, from the Haw River Assembly, will speak about the impacts sludge (solid waste from treated wastewater) has on the Haw, Deep, and Rocky rivers. Dr. Detlef Knappe from North Carolina State University will inform us about 1,4-Dioxane, an industrial solvent found in Pittsboro’s drinking water, and its long-term risk factors.
For more information about these topics, please see the following links:
Come learn about the health of our rivers! The rivers of Chatham County provide important natural resources for our community, including fish and wildlife habitat, recreation opportunities, and drinking water.
They will have two speakers for our next quarterly meeting on January 21 at the Chatham County Cooperative Extension Office auditorium in Pittsboro. Elaine Chiosso, from the Haw River Assembly, will speak about the impacts sludge (solid waste from treated wastewater) has on the Haw, Deep, and Rocky rivers. Dr. Detlef Knappe from North Carolina State University will inform us about 1,4-Dioxane, an industrial solvent found in Pittsboro’s drinking water, and its long-term risk factors.
For more information about these topics, please see the following links:
- Sludge in Our Waters - Waterkeepers Carolina: http://go.ncsu.edu/o036vr
- 2014 EPA factsheet about 1,4 Dioxane: http://go.ncsu.edu/o036x7
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