#475 What does it actually take to decarbonize a state?

We have three decades to defuse the climate crisis. With America seemingly incapable of producing the massive federal legislation required, the front line of climate politics is moving to the states.

What does it actually look like to decarbonize a state? Exactly how many electric vehicles and heat pumps do we need to deploy? How many solar panels do we need, and where do we put them? What policy levers can we pull to speed it all up, and what political fights must we win first?

Juan-Pablo Velez, founder and one-time co-organizer of Chi Hack Night, spent the pandemic creating a solar YIMBY group and going deep into New York State climate politics and policy. With an eye towards sparking similar work in Illinois, he’ll give an overview of New York State’s country-leading climate law, what it will take to decarbonize NYS by 2050, and the political forces standing in the way.

ASL This event will not have an American Sign Language interpreter.