GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY | The Earth Commons welcomed Professor Valerie J. Karplus on Sept. 20 to speak about the importance of decarbonization for their EcoTalk series.
Valerie J. Karplus, founder and project director of the MIT-Tsinghua China Energy and Climate Project (CECP) and professor of engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, presented her research on decarbonization drivers and the current landscape of industrial supply chains in an ECo Talk hosted by the Earth Commons, Georgetown University’s hub for environmental sustainability, Sept. 20.
Decarbonization drivers are policies that propel the world toward reduced carbon emissions, a key goal in mitigating climate change. These drivers include policies such as carbon taxes for large corporations, growing market demand for sustainable alternatives and technological advances in production areas like renewable energy. In her assessment of industrial supply chains, Karplus examines all stages of production from raw material sourcing to product disposal.
Karplus highlighted her recent research on metal manufacturing as a decarbonization driver. The administration of President Joe Biden set goals of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and urged the country’s industrial sectors to work toward decarbonization. The manufacturing of iron and steel is detrimental both in practice and use, as these materials are harmful to produce, yet their market demand is high. Karplus, who is also an associate director at Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, uses a multidisciplinary approach to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
“The Laboratory for Energy and Organizations really takes a combination of the social sciences and brings that together with the engineering to try to figure out and put together the building blocks of decarbonization from the ground up,” Karplus said at the event.
This emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches resonates with Heidi Elmendorf, associate professor in the biology department, who emphasizes the critical role of integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and humanities perspectives to develop the most effective solutions, particularly in policy-related issues.
“If your primary role on campus is in the STEM field, lean in and take science courses that can make you an expert in that field someday, and take some meaningful courses in the other realm, such as government and economic classes. The goal is to be an expert in something while also being able to talk meaningfully and collaboratively with experts in other things,” Elmendorf said.
One key strategy for decarbonization is replacing gasoline-powered cars with electric vehicles (EVs). Karplus studied the critical minerals required for EV battery manufacturing. Her analysis shows that since decarbonization relies on the widespread adoption of EVs, iron- and steel-making processes must evolve in parallel. This evolution needs to address the entire production chain: from extracting and processing materials, reducing iron ore to iron, refining that iron into steel and then using that steel in vehicles and appliances.
“The big emissions in this supply chain occur in the refining, which is where decarbonization depends on process innovation to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions,” Karplus said.
The iron and steel supply chain accounts for 7-9% of global greenhouse gas emissions, primarily due to intensive mining operations and large-scale production. Transitioning to EVs to reduce these emissions presents a trade-off, as battery production requires mining other metals such as lithium and cobalt.
According to Karplus, another way to tackle the problem of carbon dioxide emissions is to set up a carbon border adjustment mechanism — an economic policy that levies a price on imported goods based on the greenhouse gas emissions required to make them — with the goal of reducing overall pollution. Karplus said that this policy should be implemented in the United States.
“Near term, I actually think we need to be more scrappy and creative in terms of how we look at our existing tariff structure and think about where we are implicitly pricing carbon and where we are at odds with the pricing,” Karplus said.
In 2018, legislation on implementing tariffs for steel imports was passed under Section 232. These tariffs generate around $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion per year in revenue and are summing up to be imperfect pricing on carbon due to the possibility of altering trade flows and product locations, without creating a clear, economy-wide incentive to reduce carbon emissions. Karplus said we must develop a new plan to tackle decarbonization.
“We should think about ways of evolving the carbon instruments and build a long-term plan to get to serious carbon pricing and border adjustment while using the revenues to invest in cleaner productions,” Karplus said.
Victoria Guillemot (GRD ’25), a master’s student in the environment and sustainability management program, said the talk provided insight into current research efforts in the field of sustainable technologies.
“It’s useful going to these talks to get present context for what these conversations look like. Classes will often focus on background information and the technological sides of it, so staying up to date on present research is crucial,” Guillemot told The Hoya.
Elmendorf further encourages students to attend talks and events outside of their fields.
“On these big issues that feel beyond an individual, students need to lean into learning and lean in deeply. Learn how to reach beyond your field of expertise, and become a well-rounded individual who can have meaningful conversations with people within all fields,” Elmendorf said.