In December of 2015, the 196 Parties present at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 21<sup>st</sup> Conference of the Parties (COP21) adopted the Paris Agreement, a treaty focused on mitigating the effects of climate change by setting a global warming limit of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. However, the world is not on track to reach this goal and thus will likely warm to a temperature substantially greater than 1.5°C in the years ahead. An important ingredient in the solution to the challenge posed by climate change seems to be the pursuit of new energy science dedicated to achieving global net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. In this talk, we will present impressions gathered from the recent COP26 meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, including information on the global effort that is now underway to accelerate the growth of renewable and low-carbon energies such as wind, solar, and nuclear. Our impressions of the challenges inherent in this effort will be discussed, particularly regarding the needs for scientific breakthroughs, increased funding of basic science, and prioritization of efforts in developing countries. As new technologies are often born “in the lab,” we will present a multiscale perspective that spans one undergraduate project related to sustainable nuclear energy and the global insights gained by serving as a student UN accredited ACS Observer to the COP26 meeting.

Inspired by sustainable energy: On-the-ground impressions from COP26 and undergraduate research in chemistry

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.