The future is low-carbon energy

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The greatest challenge in development of a sustainable, low-carbon energy future is no longer technological, but rather public acceptance. As scientist and engineers, we often do a poor job of communicating to the press and the public the necessity of transitioning to a low-carbon economy and the scientific and engineering developments behind lower-carbon energy options. Our failure to communicate with the public results in misunderstanding, mistrust and general confusion as to why low-carbon energy is important.The purpose of this project is to demonstrate a new type of direct engagement between scientists and the public. The topic will be the immediate need for low-carbon energy and the science behind lower-carbon energy options. This engagement is entirely online and is geared towards young adults who are typically active on the internet but much less likely to read print media. The engagement will have two parts. The first part is a series of five seminars on the topics: carbon capture, carbon storage, peak oil, fuel cells, and building a low-carbon economy. The target attendance is 50 attendees at each seminar. The seminars will be held in the virtual world Second Life and simultaneously streamed on a webpage. The second part is the development of a webpage and a network on the social networking site Facebook. The webpage will serve to advertise the event beforehand and archive podcasts of the seminars after the event takes place. The social network will be used to advertise the seminars and will also be a forum in which members of the public from anywhere in the world can discuss energy-related topics with each other. Members will also be able to post their own energy- and climate-related events. As a part of this project the social network and webpage will be maintained for a minimum of one year. After one year the social network site will be turned over to other network members to be maintained indefinitely. This will enable contact with a much larger audience over time than those who attend the original engagement.