What Can We Do About Global Warming?

How to Head Off the Most Serious Consequences

Tuesday, May 22^nd at 7:00 p.m.

Informed individuals are well aware of climate change from the countless reports continually appearing in the media. What is less well known is the state of progress in dealing with its mitigation. On Tuesday evening, May 22 at Crowell Public Library, USC Professor Emeritus Thomas Flood will present a program that summarizes the changes necessary to head off the most serious consequences that will likely occur if society continues on the path of “business as usual.”  These changes include:  a shift to renewable technologies as the exclusive sources of energy; abandonment of the internal combustion engine with all transportation and machinery driven by renewable electricity; reversal of deforestation; and revision of agricultural practices.  The scientific and technological knowledge exists to accomplish most of these goals.  Climate change mitigation is not all-or-nothing. If we cannot get to 100% renewables right away, it is still extremely important to get to 50 or 60% as soon as possible.  The change to renewable energy can be accomplished as a net positive for society. 

After receiving his doctorate in Chemistry at MIT, Professor Thomas Flood spent most of his forty years at USC conducting research on how metal-containing molecules react with hydrocarbons.  The work had direct relevance to fossil fuels and led to his interest in energy sources and the effects of their use on the environment and on climate.   Professor Flood has presented courses at USC on atmospheric chemistry and pollution, conventional and renewable energy sources, and global warming and climate change.  He has participated in Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project Leadership Training program, the Citizens Climate Lobby, the Sierra Club, and the Union of Concerned Scientists.  Since retiring in 2012, he has given lectures on climate change, renewable energy and sustainable transportation for UCLA Extension, the Emeriti College at USC, and for various community organizations in the greater LA area. 

It is very clear that if we ignore the global warming, it will likely lead to wide-ranging destructive and expensive consequences.  Learn more when Crowell Library presents Professor Thomas Flood on Tuesday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Barth Community Room.