By Ji Yingjie
Special to the Tsinghua News Center
Harvard University's Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies Michael B McElroy, at 29 one of the youngest professors in Harvard’s long history, delivered a stirring talk in the Tsinghua Forum Lecture Series in the Main Building on April 14 on the global challenges facing a low-carbon energy future and its potential benefits for air quality and public health.
From Professor McElroy's lecture, the audience gradually, developed a more tangible understanding of the seriousness of the global warming problem and the importance of replacing fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas with renewable and sustainable energy sources like wind power.
According to Professor McElroy, the blaze of a single windmill can reach 15 meters and does not occupy too much room. Wind power is more efficient and more easily transmitted that fossil fuels based energy sources. It is an exciting and hopeful sign that wind power use is growing much faster than originally projected.
Professor McElroy indicated that China and the USA contributed over 40% of the world’s cumulative total CO2 emissions in 2007. Statistics reveal that China and the USA, however, make little use of wind resources. China depends largely on coal for its energy while the USA relies on oil and gas. Spain and Germany, on the other hand, have taken the lead in the use of wind power. Spain for example relies on wind power for 10% of its energy needs every year, tops among industrialized nations in utilizing wind power.
Professor’ McElroy lectured for an hour and a half, and then he took several student questions afterward. One student questioned whether scientists are being too concerned about global warming, with so many other problems in the world. Professor McElroy responded that the record number of 6.5 billion people who inhabit Earth contributes to the global warming problem. Human beings are changing the climate, Professor McElroy said, and they should take responsibility for protecting the environment.
(Photo by Guo Haijun)
