Prof. Daniel M. Kammen of Johns Hopkins University delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Innovation and Cooperation for the Just Energy Transition” on 26 January 2026 at the PolyU campus. The event attracted nearly 100 in-person participants and reached an impressive online audience of more than 16,200 across various social media platforms.
Prof. Kammen commenced his presentation by providing an overview of the current landscape of sustainable and reliable clean energy. He emphasised that, at present, climate science, technology and policy are not sufficiently aligned. While technologies are advancing rapidly to keep global warming to within 1.5°C, achieving a truly sustainable future critically requires pro‑environment, inclusive‑growth, and pro‑business choices made at every level — household, local, regional, national, and global.
Prof. Kammen illustrated how clean energy can drive inclusive growth by sharing examples from energy markets in the western United States. He highlighted a suite of energy, transportation and land-use modelling tools, and policy opportunities that are consistent with the 1.5°C objective, while also addressing social and environmental justice goals. He stressed that a just energy transition must ensure the equitable distribution of both the benefits and costs of decarbonisation, with particular attention to vulnerable and marginalised communities, and that new green jobs and economic opportunities are accessible to all.
Prof. Kammen then discussed clean energy transitions in China and Africa, highlighting data science methods that reduced energy dispatch delays by 20% and increased revenue. In Chengdu, the integration of green transport and a new carbon accounting tool has encouraged commuters to adopt low-carbon options, optimised bus networks, and improved efficiency, generating significant revenue. In Africa, the Health, Electrification and Telecommunications Alliance (HETA) has improved rural healthcare accessibility by powering health facilities with solar energy, showcasing the impact of integrating social and technical approaches. Supported by global organisations, HETA carries out projects to electrify health facilities and build green supply chains, thereby advancing healthcare and climate goals.
In conclusion, Prof. Kammen asserted that smart, adaptive grid technologies and architectures are a critical asset for sustainability, enabling resilient, renewable‑based energy systems and ensuring equitable access to clean power. He stressed the need to accelerate partnerships in these areas and noted that energy must play a greater role in sustainable water and health systems. He also emphasised that ocean health is inseparable from human health, and that building sustainable societies will require cross-sectoral collaboration across science, technology and policy.
The presentation was followed by a lively question-and-answer session, moderated by Prof. GUO Ye, Associate Professor of Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering. Both on-site and online audiences engaged actively in a thoughtful exchange with Prof. Kammen, reflecting the widespread interest and commitment to advancing the just energy transition.
Please click here for an online review.
| Topics | PAIR Distinguished Lecture Series |
|---|---|
| Research Units | PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research |
Prof. Daniel M. KAMMEN
Member of U.S. National Academy of Sciences
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Energy and Climate Justice
Johns Hopkins University, U.S.
Director of Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL)
University of California, Berkeley, U.S.
Former Science Envoy of U.S. Department of State
Coordinating Lead Author of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that won Nobel Peace Prize (2007)
Daniel Kammen is the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Energy and Climate Justice in the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering (CASE), and the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He plays a leadership role in the Ralph O'Connor Sustainable Energy Institute (ROSEI). His laboratory website is https://engineering.jhu.edu/faculty/daniel-kammen/.
Kammen’s work is focused on energy innovation, decarbonization, energy access, and climate justice. He most recently served as Senior Advisor for Energy and Innovation at the US Agency for International Development (USAID: 2021 – 2022).
Kammen was appointed the first Environment and Climate Partnership for the Americas (ECPA) Fellow by Secretary of State Hilary R. Clinton in April 2010 and served as Science Envoy for Secretary of State John Kerry and President Barack Obama (2016- 2017).
His research is focused on the science and policy of decarbonized energy systems, energy access, and environmental justice. He has published more than 500 papers, which are available on his laboratory website, the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL, http://rael.berkeley.edu). His research is currently focused on: decarbonization of power systems around the world; energy access and social justice; materials science for low-carbon economies; big-data approaches to clean transportation, and on the electrification of health facilities across Africa.
Kammen has founded or is on the board of over 10 companies, and has served the State of California and US federal government in expert and advisory capacities. Kammen was the First Chief Technical Specialist for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at the World Bank (2010–2011).
Kammen was educated in physics at Cornell and Harvard and held postdoctoral positions at the California Institute of Technology and Harvard. Before moving to the University of California, Berkeley, he was Assistant Professor and Chair of the Science, Technology and Environmental Policy Program at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.
Dr. Kammen has served as a contributing or coordinating lead author on various reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since 1999. The IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Kammen serves on the Advisory Committee for Energy & Environment for the X-Prize Foundation. He is on the board of Native Renewables (Flagstaff, AZ); the Chabot Space and Science Center (Oakland, CA), The Human Needs Project/Kibera Town Center (Nairobi, Kenya).
Kammen was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020.
Kammen was elected to the U. S. National Academy of Sciences in 2025.
He is a member of the Diversity Scholars Network,
https://lsa.umich.edu/ncid/engagement-opportunities/diversity-scholars-network.html
Dan Kammen & Claire Broido host the Energy Matters podcast, available on streaming services and directly at https://energymatters.world
Personal website: https://engineering.jhu.edu/faculty/daniel-kammen/
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