The Appalachian Laboratory of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science presents a free public lecture, The Energy Sustainability Dilemma: Powering the Future in a Finite World, by geoscientist and Canadian unconventional natural gas expert David Hughes. The lecture will occur Tuesday, April 23, at 7 p.m. at 301 Braddock Road in Frostburg. According to Hughes, the Energy Sustainability Dilemma is now unfolding and will profoundly impact future generations unless the finite nature of fossil fuel resources is managed for long-term sustainability.
He will discuss the “Shale Revolution”--which has allowed the extraction of oil and gas from previously inaccessible low permeability rocks through horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing--the ongoing dependence on a variety of fossil fuel sources, and the need to rethink the way we use energy, including ways to use much less and objectively assess alternative energy options.
David Hughes is a geoscientist who has studied the energy resources of Canada for nearly four decades, including 32 years with the Geological Survey of Canada as a scientist and research manager. He developed the National Coal Inventory to determine the availability and environmental constraints associated with Canada’s coal resources. As Team Leader for Unconventional Gas on the Canadian Gas Potential Committee, he coordinated the recent publication of a comprehensive assessment of Canada’s unconventional natural gas potential. Over the past decade, he has researched, published and lectured widely on global energy and sustainability issues in North America and internationally. He is a Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute and his work has been featured in the popular press, radio, television and other public media. He is currently president of Global Sustainability Research Inc, a consultancy dedicated to research on energy and sustainability issues.
