Ep. 132: Dr. Melissa Lott, Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University

My Climate Journey

Today's guest is Dr. Melissa Lott, Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.

Melissa and I have a great discussion, in which we dive into her background and origin story, what brought her to working in energy, how she sees the energy transition playing out, how we can successfully decarbonize power, and how energy and environmental justice can’t be decoupled. We also discuss how her team decides which projects to take on, and goes about doing their modeling and research.

In today’s episode, we cover:

• Melissa's origin story
• Her focus on power and public health
• Why she chose energy
• Her time at Tokyo Asian Pacific Energy Center
• Motivation for choosing academia
• SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy projects
• How often research evolves and which models are used
• Who determines research topics and how are they chosen
• Ways to make the energy transition successful
• Decarbonization and the power sector
• What Melissa would like to see in Joe Biden's first 100 days as President
• Net Zero Carbon and how we get there

Links to topics discussed in this episode:

• Melissa’s articles in the Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/author/melissa-c-lott/
• Center on Global Energy Policy: https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/
• Professor Richard Smalley Explains Why Energy Is The #1 Challenge Facing Humanity Today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8SUlhNZvvw&ab_channel=BiancaM.Rhym
• What Are Biden’s Climate Options if the Senate Stays Republican?https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/11/06/biden-climate-policy-senate-republicans-congress/