Description
The IUPAP–UNESCO International Colloquia on Physics for Society are back for 2026, continuing their mission of connecting physics with the major challenges facing our societies.
The first colloquium of this year’s series, organized in the framework of the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD), will take place online on 8 June 2026 18 CEST (Paris time) and will feature Nobel Laureate Prof. Steven Chu, William R. Kenan Professor of Physics, of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, and of Energy Science and Engineering at Stanford University.
A pioneering physicist and former U.S. Secretary of Energy under President Barack Obama, Steven Chu was awarded the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics for the development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light. Throughout his career, he has worked at the intersection of physics, energy, sustainability, and public policy, contributing to advances in biophysics, medical imaging, battery research, and carbon capture technologies.
In his lecture, entitled “The challenges and opportunities of getting to net-zero GHG emissions”, Prof. Chu will discuss how industrial and agricultural revolutions have profoundly transformed the world while also contributing to climate change. Drawing on his experience in physics, energy policy, and sustainability, he will address the challenges of providing clean energy, water, air, and food for a growing global population, as well as the tensions between long-term climate goals and immediate concerns such as energy security and costs.
The talk will also explore the progress, opportunities, and scientific challenges involved in achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
The lecture will be open to the public and hosted on Zoom.
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/nobel-laureate-steven-chu-opens-2026-iupap-unesco-colloquia-series
