Net Zero = deep, wide-scale cuts in emissions combined with removals. The Paris Agreement requires this by 2050.

Organized by:

• Kyle Armour, UW Atmospheric Sciences and UW Oceanography
• Abigail Swann, UW Atmospheric Sciences and UW Biology

For an overview of the event lease visit the blog post : “CONSIDERING PATHWAYS TO NET-ZERO EMISSIONS AT THE 2022 PCC SUMMER INSTITUTE”

Dates: Sept. 14-16, 2022, at Friday Harbor Labs* on San Juan Island

• Our Code of Conduct
•  2022 COVID-19 guidance for WA State, University of Washington, San Juan County, and Friday Harbor Labs. **Note that FHL requires that all visiting group participants are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they have received a vaccination exemption from UW or are not eligible for vaccination due to their age.**

Paper Discussions (on UW Seattle campus) Wed Aug 24, Wed Aug 31, and Wed Sept 7 — all startEd at 2pm.

All graduate students attending the Summer Institute were expected to attend!

Wed Aug 24-2pm-3:30 in ATG 310.  Theme: The physical sciences basis for net-zero emissions

• For discussion:
  1. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa98c9/meta (pdf sent to registered participants)
  2. https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-what-the-new-ipcc-report-says-about-how-to-limit-warming-to-1-5c-or-2c/
  3. For further reading (optional!): https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-will-global-warming-stop-as-soon-as-net-zero-emissions-are-reached/

Wed Aug 31-in OCN 425 Theme: Transitions toward net-zero emissions: policy and  challenges.

• For discussion:
  1. Lisa Song’s ProPublica article about problems with carbon offsets using forest preservation: https://features.propublica.org/brazil-carbon-offsets/inconvenient-truth-carbon-credits-dont-work-deforestation-redd-acre-cambodia/
  2. This Nature Climate Change article by Raupach et al. about how to translate a global carbon budget to regional scales based on different sharing principles.

Wed Sept 7-in OCN 425 Theme: Direct air capture and ocean-based carbon dioxide removal.

• Please read the following and come ready to discuss:
  1. Section 2.8 Direct Air Capture (DAC) [cdrprimer.org] of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Primer.
  2. Pages 1-5 and and Table S1 of the Summary of the NAS report [nap.nationalacademies.org] on “A research strategy for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal and sequestration”.
• Bonus reading for those interested:
  1.  Other sections of Chapter 2 of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Primer [cdrprimer.org] look quite good too, so feel free to read more!
  2. Sections 1.1-1.5 of the Introduction of the NAS report, which you can access here [nap.nationalacademies.org], for those who want to learn more about the science behind ocean-based CDR and sequestration.

Agenda (8/25/2022)

Wed. Sept. 14, 3pm Arrival at Friday Harbor/Packet Pickup at Friday Harbor Labs

• Late afternoon rowboat training (required for use of boats)

6:00 – 6:30: Dinner Served

7:00 – 9:00 Evening session

TOPIC #1 The physical sciences basis for net-zero emissions

• Logistics, Welcome, and Introductions (10 mins)
• Talk #1 Kirsten Zickfeld (Simon Fraser University) “Net-zero CO2 emissions: A geophysical requirement for limiting warming”
• Talk #2 Dave Frame (University of Canterbury) “Split gas approaches: recognizing the differences between short- and long-lived greenhouse gases”
• Talk #3 Zeke Hausfather (Berkeley Earth / Stripe Climate) “Insights from net-zero pathways in the recent IPCC WG3 report”
• Discussion (20 mins)

Thursday, September 15, 2022

7:45 – 8:15 AM: Breakfast Served

8:30 – 10:20 AM: Morning Session I

TOPIC #2 Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

• Talk #1 Daniel Kirschen (UW CEI) “Can the grid deliver decarbonization?”
• Talk #2 Jan Whittington (UW Urban Design and Planning) “Urban decarbonization: planning and finance with energy in mind”
• Talk #3 Sarah Collier (UW Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences) “Agricultural emission reduction and carbon sequestration”
• Discussion (20 mins)

10:20 – 10:40 AM: Break and Group Photo

10:40 – 12:00 Poster Session

12:00 – 12:30 PM: Lunch Served

Afternoon free

6:00 – 6:30 PM: Dinner Served

7:00 – 9:00: Evening Session

TOPIC #3 Carbon dioxide removal

• Talk #1 Alex Gagnon (UW Oceanography) “Leveraging Natural Systems for Carbon Removal”
• Talk #2 Zeke Hausfather (Berkeley Earth / Stripe) “Challenges and opportunities in scaling permanent carbon removal – lessons from the private sector”
• Talk #3 ​​Abby Swann (UW Atmospheric Sciences / Biology) “The potential and consequences of afforestation”
• Discussion (20 mins)
• Quick Talks (20 mins)

Friday, September 16, 2022

7:45 – 8:15 AM: Breakfast Served

8:30 – 10:20 AM: Morning Session I

TOPIC #4 Transitions toward net-zero emissions: policy and and challenges

• Talk #1 Dave Reidmiller (Gulf of Maine Research Institute) (virtual talk) “The International Climate Policy Regime: Cooperation, Dysfunction, & Uncertainty”
• Talk #2 Parrish Bergquist (Georgetown University) “Climate policy in the American states: Progress, promise, and pitfalls.”
• Talk #3 Matt Kuharic (King County) “King County (WA) Pathways to Net Zero Emissions  – Progress, Gaps, Opportunities, Tools”
• Discussion (20 mins)

10:20 – 10:40 AM: Break

10:40 AM – 12:00 PM: Morning Session II

• Talk #4 Erin Mayfield (Dartmouth) “Critical factors in equitable transitions to net-zero emissions”
• Talk #5 – Lisa Song (Pro Publica) “An (Even More) Inconvenient Truth: Intention vs Reality on Forest Carbon Offsets”
• Discussion (10 mins)
• PCC in 2022 – 2023 (10 mins)

12:00-12:30 PM: Quick Lunch

Fri departure: 155pm Ferry from Friday Harbor to Anacortes