Michael A. Tamor

Evidence that humans are the main driver of climate change is overwhelming. As declared in the 2015 Paris Accords, the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change recommended that we achieve carbon-neutrality by 2070 to avert climate catastrophe. Now political candidates in the US tout ‘plans’ to eliminate fossil fuels by 2030 or sooner. Lost in this policy ‘arms race’ is a recognition of the sheer scale of the climate challenge and a common vision of that future carbon-neutral economy.

In this talk, Michael A. Tamor will help bring to realism to the climate policy debate. His work demonstrates that we can achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050 at a reasonable cost and without compromising our lifestyle. But the scale of what must be built, most importantly in generation and transmission of renewable electricity is stunning. Thus, the challenge is to implement a stable, long-range energy policy that drives fossil carbon emissions to zero while maximizing flexibility and minimizing the cost of achieving that goal.

As Executive Technical Leader for Hybrid Vehicle and Fuel Cell Research at Ford, Tamor led research and concept validation of hybrid-electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles. Later as Henry Ford Technical Fellow (the highest technical position at Ford), he studied the connections between global sustainability, regulatory concepts, and corporate strategy.