Title

Coalitions needed to advance zero emission transportation policy

Time

1:40pm - 3:00pm

Location

Remote instruction

Abstract

Ambitious policy to advance zero emission transportation is critical around the world if we are to meaningfully address climate change. Shining examples include the California Zero emission vehicle mandate, the Chinese New Energy vehicle program and the European CO2 standards for cars and trucks. But how do these policies pass and what determines their level of ambition? While the competence and vision of the policymakers themselves are critical, we find that a broad coalition of stakeholders, expertly coordinated, can make a major difference. Using the example of the recently passed California Advanced Clean Truck rule and the European CO2 standards, this seminar will speak to the lessons learned by philanthropic funders regarding the composition and coordination of successful coalitions to advance zero emission transportation policy.

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Anand R. Gopal is a program officer in the Environment Program at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Anand manages the program’s grantmaking on clean transportation within its climate and energy strategy. His grantmaking works at the intersection of transportation, electric power, and related supply chains, supporting innovative approaches to transportation that give people more choice, flexibility, and connectivity, and that move goods and services more efficiently with the least possible greenhouse gas emissions.

Previously Anand was a research scientist in clean energy and transportation at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). He led LBNL’s global research on transportation solutions for climate mitigation, and his research used interdisciplinary methods from engineering and economics to assess the intersection of electric power and transport. He has advised the development of policies to accelerate transport electrification in India, Europe, China, and the United States. He is a member of the Transportation Research Board Committee on Alternative Transportation Fuels and Technologies. He has worked as a research engineer at the Schatz Energy Research Center at Humboldt State University and as a guest scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. He has a doctorate in energy and resources from University of California, Berkeley, a Master’s of Science in environmental systems engineering from Humboldt State University, and a Bachelor’s of Science in civil engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.