New Spring Course! GEOGRAPHY 470 ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT & SOCIETY Some Key Issues: -Is Al Gore’s plan for 100% renewable electricity “pie in the sky” or possible? -What type of solar energy conversion is already cost effective in Western Oregon, without government subsidies? -Why risks of global warming may not be the most compelling reason to shift to a different energy economy. -How could existing technologies be utilized to run your next car on solar-based electricity, at a lower energy cost per mile than $2 gasoline? -Why was the Trojan nuclear plant north of Portland removed? -Why some scientists see nuclear power as “safer” than coal-fired plants. -Why the energy sector has persisted as the most technologically stagnant of all major industries. -Are “zero energy” homes affordable & realistic? -Why some biofuels cause hunger and greenhouse gas emissions. -Why mass production of electric cars has been “less than a decade away” for the past century. Instructor: Michael McGlade, Professor of Geography