UNC professor makes progress on new peak oil class

I checked in today with UNC physics professor Gerald Cecil, who I interviewed last year for a series of stories I wrote on the peak oil concept. Cecil and professors from four other departments are moving forward with the scheduling of a Spring 2010 freshman seminar course called “Energy and Environmental Crises.”

Up to 125 students can enroll in the 100-level course, which will explain to students the background, causes and possible implications of peak oil and climate change. The last portion of the class will focus on what students can do through future careers and lifestyles to address these issues, Cecil said.

“The idea is to hook them and direct them to other courses where they can take up these subjects,” he said.

Cecil said he hopes enough demand for the course will exist to schedule three classes per semester. He also hopes to get involvement from the business/economics professors who could help students explore the future of energy-related investments in a carbon-constrained world.

Greensboro News & Record