2GreenEnergy Headed for Scripps

I must say that the process of interviewing subject-matter experts for my book on renewables is perfect for my temperment as a writer. I don’t aspire to be an authority on any one subject within the framework of renewable energy, but I certainly aspire to grasp fully the fundamental issues at stake in each, and to be able to learn from a good, engaging conversation. Thus it is with joy in my heart that I’ll be headed for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography next week for my interview with Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan. I’ll be speaking with a man, affectionately known as “Ram,” who is perhaps the most well-respected scientist on the subject of global climate change. In fact, his assistant told me that he is credited with discovering the phenomenon, correctly predicting in the early 1970s that there would be a measurable increase in the planet’s temperature by 1980. Unless something unforeseen takes place, the full transcript of the interview will occupy an important chapter.

In any case, the process of preparing for these interviews forces me to read and digest short but pithy articles like this one, and to familiarize myself with the nomenclature associated with the key issues. For instance, we all recall from Al Gore’s movie the cooling phenomenon of certain pollutants, which, when they are removed from the atmosphere, will actually increase global warming. This is known as AMGW, or aerosol mask global warming. Of course, there are dozens of such concepts into which to sink one’s teeth. I would say this would be unbridled fun, if it weren’t for the tragic circumstances and the severity of the consequences.