On a mission to reduce carbon footprint

Former United States Undersecretary of Energy Dr Kristina Johnson explained the main factors contributing to the greenhouse effect and ozone pollution, and presented a strategy to reduce carbon footprint for a greener environment in a lecture at Khalifa University. Her strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions calls for a reduction of dependence on energy generating fuels with high carbon output, such as coal and petrol, and replacing them with cleaner alternative energy sources such as solar power, nuclear power and fossil fuels that produce low carbon. "Nearly half of the electric power, today, is generated using coal," said Dr Johnson at the lecture hosted by Khalifa University as part of a series of distinguished speakers on April 11. The lecture was held in collaboration with the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR). Dependence In her role as Undersecretary of Energy her department developed the Strategic Technologies Energy Plan (STEP) for reducing US dependence on imported oil by 75 per cent, achieving greenhouse gas reductions by 83 per cent by 2050, and achieving 80 per cent low-carbon electricity by 2035, while creating jobs and laying the foundation for the clean energy economy. The plan calls for five elements: cleaning the electrical grid; electrifying private transportation; producing jet and diesel fuels from sunlight; making buildings, homes and industrial processing more energy efficient; and, modernising the electrical grid. Dr Tod Laursen, President of Khalifa University, said: "Finding renewable, economic energy sources that are not harmful to the environment is everyone's concern. Dr Johnson, along with other distinguished speakers provided a very useful context for our students to complement their academic interests in science and technology." Dr Laursen said: "It is part of our mission to provide the community and our students with knowledge on alternative energy sources and highly relevant topics that directly relate to a rapidly transforming economic and technological environment." Dr Johnson was Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Johns Hopkins University and Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University prior to serving as Undersecretary at the Department of Energy. She is the recipient of multiple academic awards including the John Fritz Medal (2008), considered among the most prominent awards in the engineering profession. Other holders of this honour include Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. Dr Johnson holds 129 patents and was inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame. Simple actions Dr Kristina Johnson has called on people to take simple actions that will reduce energy to a large extent, like buying a front-loading washing machine and not top-loading one, washing their clothes with cold and not hot water, and putting laptops in sleep mode when not in use. She also encouraged governments to set a good example by having each department set a goal to reduce energy by a certain percentage at a specific date, and hold them accountable to reaching those targets.