Dr. Steven Chu, 1997 Nobel Laureate in Physics and 12th Secretary of Energy of the United States (appointed by president-elect Obama shortly after his election) gave a lecture here at SLAC this morning.

You can get a fair idea of the contents of the lecture (jokes included) by watching this video (2007)

http://gustavus.edu/events/nobelconference/2007/chu-lecture.php

It would be difficult to briefly summarize his 1-1/2 hour talk, but one of the key messages was: because of climate change the planet is not in good shape, and we have to act quickly to avoid more serious problems. Chu proposes to take a bold and pragmatic approach to the problem, ranging from do-it-yourself solutions (paint you rooftop white!), to new regulations that promote “green” behaviors.

Whether this approach succeeds or not, he gave the impression to be the right person for the job. Smart people in strategic position: isn’t that a great idea?

PS: check out the Symmetry Breaking article on this event here.