2021 McCabe Lecture

“The Global Energy Challenge” by Michael Greenstone '91

About the Lecture

The Thomas B. McCabe Lecture is an annual event that brings individuals with distinguished careers in varied fields to speak on campus. This year's lecture will be livestreamed on the Swarthmore College YouTube Channel and on this webpage.

Saturday, Oct. 23 at 1:30 p.m. ET | Watch on YouTube

"The Global Energy Challenge"

The global energy challenge is perhaps the defining task of the century. It requires balancing the need for inexpensive and reliable energy that powers income growth, while limiting environmental and health damages and guarding against disruptive climate change. This lecture will highlight the nature of the challenge, why various countries see it so differently in ways that make reaching a solution difficult, and offer some potential solutions. 

About Michael Greenstone '91

Michael Greenstone ’91 is the Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics as well as director of the Becker Friedman Institute and the interdisciplinary Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. He previously served as the chief economist for President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, where he co-led the development of the U.S. government’s social cost of carbon. 

Greenstone’s research, which has influenced policy globally, is focused on uncovering the benefits and costs of environmental quality and society’s energy choices. His current work involves testing innovative ways to increase energy access and improve the efficiency of environmental regulations globally.