MADISON, WI (November 8, 2021) — As the world tries to bounce back from the COVID pandemic, it is running into an energy crisis. With crude oil prices up 65%, gas above $3 a gallon, and natural gas prices doubling this year, the crisis is contributing to inflation. Factories around the world are slowing or even halting production.
What is causing this crisis, and what does it mean for international relations and trade? What are the opportunities and risks of shifting to renewable energy sources, such as nuclear energy? How does communication around these issues impact policies and trends in the real world? What obstacles are preventing us from addressing this crisis — and how might we overcome them?
Join fellow UW alumni and friends online for a livestream and Q & A with a panel of experts who will discuss the energy crisis. The talk will be moderated by Mike Knetter, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association.
Featured guests:
Mikhaila Calice is a doctoral student in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at UW–Madison. Her research interests include risk, political communication, and public deliberation, specifically regarding topics and technologies related to U.S. energy policy. She is particularly interested in how controversial science issues related to climate change and the energy transition are communicated to the public and policymakers to explore collaborative approaches to policy making. Calice also works as a research analyst for Slipstream, an energy efficiency research nonprofit, where she analyzes energy efficiency programs, energy usage trends, electricity pricing, emerging energy technology, and other topics relevant to energy policy.
Mark Copelovitch, PhD, is a professor of political science and public affairs in the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW–Madison. He is also an affiliate of the UW’s Center for European Studies, the Center for German and European Studies, and the Jean Monnet European Union Centre of Excellence. He specializes in international political economics and international organizations, with a focus on the politics of international trade, international finance, the International Monetary Fund, and European integration. He is the author of “The International Monetary Fund in the Global Economy: Banks, Bonds, and Bailouts” (Cambridge University Press, 2010), as well as articles in “Comparative Political Studies,” the “Journal of Politics, International Organization,” “International Studies Quarterly,” and the “Review of International Organizations.”
Paul Wilson, PhD, is the Grainger Professor of Nuclear Engineering and chair of UW–Madison’s Department of Engineering Physics. His research interests focus on developing improved tools for computational modeling of complex nuclear energy systems, with applications in radiation shielding, nuclear waste management, nuclear nonproliferation, and energy policy. In addition to his research and teaching work, he has served in several advisory and consultant roles, including as a member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Generation IV Technology Roadmap Committee. Wilson was also the founding president of the North American Young Generation in Nuclear, an organization created to provide unique opportunities to young professionals in all fields of nuclear science and technology.
When: Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. CST
Where: https://www.allwaysforward.org/uwnow/climate-energy-geopolitics/
