“Let’s see. We’ve got global warming, glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising and species driven to extinction. We have unprecedented storms happening. Send in the comedian.”
So began Brian Malow, whose website bills him as Earth’s premier science comedian.
Mr. Malow was introducing the event Changing Planet: Clean Energy, Green Jobs and Global Competition, cosponsored by GW, NBC News, the National Science Foundation and Discover magazine.
Jokes aside, the event, which drew about 90 people to the Jack Morton Auditorium on Tuesday, was very serious.
“GW is striving to become a genuine leader in urban sustainability,” said Frank Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs and host of the program Planet Forward. “We are applying the principles of sustainability to our operations across the board wherever humanly possible.”
Mr. Sesno said, “I can think of no topic that is more relevant or timely.”
The program – the second in a three-part series of town halls at universities across the country – will air on the Weather Channel on Earth Day (April 22) and a story covering it will be published in the June issue of Discover magazine, Mr. Sesno said.
After the comedic introduction, Anne Thompson, chief environmental affairs correspondent at NBC News, moderated a conversation with Ken Zweibel, director of the GW Solar Institute; Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green for All; Chris Busch, director of policy and program at Apollo Alliance; and Timothy Juliani, director of corporate engagement at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
The group refuted what Ms. Thompson described as the “top arguments against clean energy,” discussed the importance of storing solar energy and reflected on whether clean energy technology creates well-paid jobs.
“It’s clear that solar energy and wind energy are capable of meeting all the energy needs that we have,” Dr. Zweibel said. “Sunshine in one hour is equal to all the electricity and energy that we use in the world in one year. There’s plenty of sunlight and plenty of wind energy.”
“It’s really just a matter of shifting our thoughts to a new paradigm that would allow us to see a future where we don’t need some of the things that have become somewhat of an albatross for us,” he said.