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The immediate environmental hazards associated with plastic disposal are increasingly obvious while the longer-term hazards of climate change from plastics are poorly understood. Plastics are unique because fossil fuels are used both for processing and as the raw material for the product. The already significant greenhouse gas emissions from the production and disposal of plastics may more than double in coming decades. While electrification and other technologies promise to greatly reduce emissions from transportation and other sectors, research directed at plastic production has languished. This talk will outline a range of promising technologies – including complete electrification of plastic production. Capturing this potential, however, will require refocusing research priorities and a regulatory system built around a much improved method for quantifying the lifecycle environmental impact of plastics.

Henry Kelly has worked extensively on national science and technology policy including work in areas including energy, the environment, advanced manufacturing, information technology, next-generation transportation, and use of technology to implement new approaches to learning. He has held positions in the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, the Department of Energy, the Federation of American Scientists, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during the Clinton and Obama administrations. At the Department of Energy, as acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, he helped launch the Sunshot program, created the Advanced Manufacturing Office, revitalized the buildings program, and increased focus on biofuels, batteries, advanced geothermal energy, and offshore wind. He is a fellow of the AAAS and the American Physical Society and past chair of its Forum on Physics and Society. His recent research and publications focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies that can help meet climate goals. This includes work on advanced mobility strategies and a review of research opportunities in producing petrochemicals without use of fossil fuels. He received a BA from Cornell University and a PhD in physics from Harvard University.