James Conca to Speak on Energy Politics on March 5 at Western

James Conca of UFA Ventures, Inc. will discuss global energy politics as part of the Western Washington University Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 5 in Communications Facility 120 on Western’s campus.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Global energy consumption, currently estimated at 17 trillion kilowatt hours per year, is projected to grow to well over 30 trillion by mid-century, with most of this growth occurring in developing nations. To attain a sustainable global energy production free of intermittent shortages, security vulnerabilities, environmental degradation, and extreme costs requires the development of a variety of energy sources.

In his talk titled “The GeoPolitics of Energy: Achieving a just and sustainable energy distribution by 2040,” Conca will discuss a rational global energy strategy that can achieve an ethical and sustainable energy mix in the U.S. and the world, focusing on a mix of fossil fuels, renewables, and nuclear energy. He will also highlight the technical hurdles, legal battles, distribution obstacles, and challenges in public perception facing each of these energy sources.

Conca is a senior scientist for UFA Ventures, Inc., in the Tri-Cities. Prior to UFA Ventures, Conca directed the Center for Laboratory Sciences at Columbia Basin College and the New Mexico State University Environmental Monitoring and Research Center, the independent monitoring facility for the country’s only deep geologic nuclear repository. Conca holds a doctorate in Geochemistry from the California Institute of Technology, an master’s degree in Planetary Science, and a bachelor’s degree in Geology/Biology from Brown University.

The presentation will include a question-and-answer period. Anyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend and participate.

The Huxley College Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

Western’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental professionals and stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.

For more information on the speaker series, call (360) 650-2554.