Energy Explained
Get the latest as our experts share their insights on global energy policy.
Curtailing Fugitive Methane Emissions Amid a Potential US Regulatory Rollback
Fugitive methane emissions from the energy sector have become frontpage news over the last five years. Both the US and EU have developed legislative strategies to combat methane...
Podcasts
Hear in-depth conversations with the world’s top energy and climate leaders from government, business, academia, and civil society.
AI, Extreme Weather, and the LA Wildfires
The year 2024 ended with a sobering milestone: it was officially the hottest year ever recorded. That pattern of extremes continues around the world, especially in Southern California,...
Events
Find out more about our upcoming and past events.
January 30, 2025
• 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
est
Can AI Help Reduce Emissions of Greenhouse Gases?
Please join the Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs for a special webinar "Can AI Help Reduce Emissions of...
Webinar
• Zoom Webinar
Guest
Alice Hill and Colin McCormick
The year 2024 ended with a sobering milestone: it was officially the hottest year ever recorded. That pattern of extremes continues around the world, especially in Southern California, which is suffering from one of its worst disasters in history. First responders continue to battle lethal wildfires that have consumed more than 12,000 buildings and homes, and forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate.
But beyond these headlines about rising temperatures and intensifying disasters lies a critical question: How can we better predict and prepare for extreme weather events in a warming world?
Recent breakthroughs in AI-powered weather forecasting have produced new models that not only match but sometimes outperform traditional prediction systems. These advances couldn’t come at a more crucial time – in 2023 alone, the US suffered $95 billion in damages from 28 separate extreme weather events.
So, how do we ensure these powerful new tools reach the communities that need them most? How can advances in weather forecasting enhance energy resiliency? And what role should public agencies play as private companies push the boundaries of prediction technology?
This week host Bill Loveless talks with Alice Hill and Colin McCormick about AI in weather forecasting. Together, they authored a chapter on extreme weather response in the Innovation for Cool Earth Forum’s report Artificial Intelligence for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap.
Alice is the David M. Rubenstein senior fellow for energy and the environment at the Council on Foreign Relations. She previously served as special assistant to President Obama and senior director for resilience policy on the National Security Council.
Colin is a principal scientist at Carbon Direct, where he provides expertise across carbon removal methods and industrial decarbonization. He previously served as senior advisor for R&D at the US Department of Energy. He is currently an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service.
More Episodes
Climate as a Catalyst for Global Conflicts
Climate change isn't just an environmental threat—it's becoming a catalyst for conflict. Over the past decade, rising temperatures, water shortages, and other environmental disruptions have fueled tensions from...
Transforming America’s Power System
This week host Jason Bordoff talks with Cheryl LaFleur and David Hill about the incoming Trump administration, its impact on FERC, and the status of permitting reform measures.
COP29: A Veteran’s Account of the UN Process
The international climate negotiation process stands at a critical juncture. At the recent COP29 summit in Azerbaijan, nations struggled to find common ground on financial support and carbon...
The Cybersecurity Stakes of the Energy Transition
The energy transition is transforming how we power our world – clean energy systems are becoming more interconnected, automated, and reliant on digital infrastructure. But with this transformation...
Relevant
Publications
Can AI Transform the Power Sector?
CGEP is pleased to announce a new AI & Energy series—part of our Energy Explained blog. In the first entry, the authors write about AI's potential impacts on the...
ICEF 2024 Roadmap on ‘ICEF Artificial Intelligence for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap (Second Edition)’
ICEF develops roadmaps on how key innovative technologies can contribute to a transition to clean energy. Roadmaps consider industrial, academic and governmental perspectives to identify a realistic, fact-based pathway and meaningfully inform the work of all stakeholders.
America’s AI Leadership Depends on Energy
Microsoft’s plan to restart Three Mile Island points to the way forward.
Projecting the Electricity Demand Growth of Generative AI Large Language Models in the US
The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI), especially Large Language Models (LLMs) such as GPT-3 and Gemini on which the now well-known ChatGPT AI and Gemina assistant systems...
