UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

2014 LABC Sustainability Summit: California Energy and Water Policy: Is it Driving New Jobs and Investment in Los Angeles?
2014-04-25 07:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
J.R. DeShazo will be a speaker at this year’s LABCAnnual Sustainability Summit. Hailed by notables nationwide as the singular LA event that
captures how best to build and capitalize on the new clean tech economy, this
exceptional forum advocates for business-driven solutions and
policy-prescriptions that can make clean energy more profitable.
At this year’s summit, L.A.
CityMayor Garcetti is invited to share with us his vision and plan for a
sustainable city that creates new jobs and businesses. Also invited to give
keynotes are Dr. Manuel Pastor, Director of USC’s Program for
Environmental and Regional Equity, and City of Lancaster Mayor R. Rex
Parris, who set Lancaster on a path to becoming a net zero city.
Confirmed speakers also include: California State Senator Kevin
de Leon; Gary Lee Moore, Interim Executive Director of the Port
of Los Angeles; Robert Katherman, Water Replenishment District of
Southern California; Commissioner Andrew McAllister, California Energy
Commission and many more.
The LABC Institute will
be partnering with the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and the USC Program
for Environmental and Regional Equity to conduct research and release a report
on the LADWP Clean LA Solar (Feed-in-Tariff) Program that will provide an early
snapshot of the local impacts and offer suggestions for maximizing the benefits
as the program seeks to scale up to a 600 MW Program.
For more information, Click Here.

Keynote: Who Owns the Digital City?
2014-04-24 18:00 - 20:00
RSVP by April 21, 2014
REGISTER TODAY!
This conference brings together policymakers, technologists, engineers, activists and intellectuals to explore how information and communication technologies are changing the governance, social experience, management and study of our cities.
This is a part of a larger project at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs to explore the main critical policy issues raised by the digital revolution, which is upending entire fields and industries and causing many changes in our daily lives. The latest phase of information and communication technology development will have a particularly powerful effect on our cities and regions, leading to new paradigms of urban management, public decision-making and participation, social interaction, and social-scientific methodology.
The keynote presentation will be given by computer scientist and futurist Jaron Lanier, author of Who Owns the Future?
Event informationKeynote: Thursday, April 24, 2014 6 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.UCLA Luskin Third Floor Terrace 337 Charles E Young Drive East Los Angeles, California 90095 Conference:Friday, April 25, 2014 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.UCLA De Neve Commons, Plaza Room 351 Charles E. Young Drive West Los Angeles, California 90095 Parking available for $12

Justice Fusion: Art and Creative Expression for Social & Environmental Equity
2014-04-24 16:00 - 18:00
RSVP at: conta.cc/1q0gK6rSponsored by the UCLA Environmental Justice Initiative, this event explores the intersection between race, class, gender, and environmental issues through art. The event will feature contributions from students and artists at the crossroads of environmental activism and scholarship. Attendees will also have the opportunity to express their own experiences with environmental burdens and benefits through visual and performance art. Learn more about the artists and event…Program4:00-5:00pm Refreshments4:00-5:00pm Photography Exhibit & Live Art5:00-6:00pm Poetry & Spoken WordCo-Hosted by:Center for the Study of InequalityInstitute of the Environment and SustainabilityInstitute of American CulturesLuskin Center for InnovationUCLA Cultural Affairs CommissionUCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

Environment and Energy Economics Weekly Seminar: Catherine Wolfram
2014-04-24 14:00 - 15:30
“The Demand for Energy-Using Assets among the World’s Rising Middle Classes”Abstract:We study decisions to acquire energy-using assets in thepresence of rising incomes. We develop a theoretical framework to show that
credit-constrained, poor households are unlikely to use additional income to
buy appliances. The effect of income growth on asset purchases is stronger at
higher income levels. We use large and plausibly exogenous shocks to household
income generated by the conditional-cash-transfer program in Mexico,
Oportunidades, to show that asset acquisition is nonlinear, depends, as
predicted, on the pace of income growth, and both effects are economically
large among beneficiaries. Our results may help explain important worldwide
trends in energy use.Link to paperAbout the Speaker:Catherine Wolfram is Cora Jane Flood Professor of Business Administration at
the Haas School of Business and a researcher at the UC Energy
Institute. Her research focuses on the economics of energy markets. She has studied the impact of environmental regulation on energy
markets and the effects of electricity industry privatization and
restructuring around the world. She received a PhD in economics from MIT. Before joining the faculty
at UC Berkeley, she was an assistant professor of economics at Harvard
University.
See Catherine Wolfram’s complete bio.

Environment and Energy Economics Weekly Seminar: Hunt Allcott
2014-04-17 14:00 - 15:30
“The Lightbulb Paradox: Evidence from Two Randomized Experiments”Abstract:It is often suggestedthat consumers are imperfectly informed about or inattentive to energy costs of
durable goods such as cars, air conditioners, and lightbulbs. We study two
randomized control experiments that provide information on energy costs and
product lifetimes for energy efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs)
vs. traditional incandescent bulbs. We then propose a general model of consumer
bias in choices between energy-using durables, derive sufficient statistics for
quantifying the welfare implications of such bias, and evaluate energy efficiency
subsidies and standards as second best corrective policies if powerful
information disclosure is infeasible. In the context of our theoretical model,
the empirical results suggest that moderate CFL subsidies may be optimal, but
imperfect information and inattention do not appear to justify a ban on
traditional incandescent lightbulbs in the absence of other inefficiencies.Link to paperAbout the Speaker:Hunt Allcott is an Assistant Professor of Economics at New York University and a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He is also a Scientific Director of ideas42,
a think tank that applies insights from psychology and economics to
problems in international development, health care, consumer finance,
and the energy industry. He is a Contributing Author of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report and,
according to a recent article in the American Economic Journal, one of the top five most-cited economists who have completed a PhD after 2005.
Professor Allcott holds a PhD from Harvard University and a BS
and MS from Stanford University. Before coming to NYU, he was the Energy
and Society Fellow in the MIT Economics Department and the MIT Energy Initiative.
He has also worked in the private sector as a consultant with Cambridge
Energy Research Associates and in international development as a
consultant to the World Bank. During academic year 2013-2014, he is a
visiting professor at Berkeley, Stanford, and the University of Chicago.
Professor Allcott is an applied microeconomist who studies topics in
environmental and energy economics, industrial organization, behavioral
economics, and development microeconomics. His research centers on
consumer behavior, business strategy, and regulatory policy in energy
markets. He uses a variety of tools, including both structural and
reduced form econometrics, applied theory, and randomized field
experiments.

Where did all the Money Go? Economic Development in a Post-Redevelopment California
2014-04-16 12:00 - 14:00
Withthe recent impact of the most severe recession since the Great Depression, and
the elimination of redevelopment in California, literally, “Where did all the
Money Go?” And how can we still achieve
the goals of Smart Growth and Sustainable Community planning? This symposium will be a conversation with a
selected group of UCLA alumni from our programs that are engaged in helping to shape
those outcomes. We will also discuss key
issues students will eventually face as planners and policy analysts and how your
education today can help with your professional challenges ahead.
Redevelopment
was a major land assembly and financing tool for economic development, and an
important financing mechanism for affordable housing. Now that it is essentially gone – except for
completing the transfer of outstanding assets by the successor agencies, where
is all the money going and how are jurisdictions coping? How can we continue to plan effectively under
these conditions, and what new financing and planning tools are on the horizon? This is a dynamic and exciting time, although
the future is far from certain.
The
Panelists will discuss the various key topics from their own work perspectives. Professor Donald Shoup will make some introductory
remarks about how the world of urban public finance has changed since he first
started teaching this course over two decades ago. Panelists include:
▪ Moderator- Stan Hoffman, President, Stanley R. Hoffman
Associates, UCLA MA Urban Planning, 1972
▪ Cecilia Estolano, Principal, Estolano LeSar Perez Advisors,
LLC, former Los Angeles CRA director,
UCLA MA Urban Planning, 1991
▪ Robb Steel, Director – Economic Development, former
Redevelopment Director, City of Rialto, UCLA MA Urban Planning, 1981
▪ Brian Gross, Senior Consultant, Waronzof, UCLA MA Urban
Planning, 2002
▪ Julio Morales, Finance Director, City of Huntington Park,
UCLA MBA, 2003
▪ Sarah McPherson Besley, Hollywood Properties Owners
Alliance, UCLA MA Urban Planning, 2007
▪ Jeff Carpenter, retired, former Los Angeles CRA Senior Staff, UCLA MA Urban Planning, 1971

Environment and Energy Economics Weekly Seminar: Matthew Kahn
2014-04-10 14:00 - 15:30
“Household Demandfor Low Carbon Public Policies: Evidence from California”AbstractIn recent years, Californians have voted on
two key pieces of low carbon regulation. The resulting voting patterns provide
an opportunity to examine the demand for carbon mitigation efforts. Household
voting patterns are found to mirror the voting patterns by the U.S Congress on
national carbon legislation. Political liberals and more educated voters favor
such regulations while suburbanites tend to oppose such initiatives. Survey
responses at the individual level are shown to predict the spatial variation in
actual voting patterns and hence convergent validity for results obtained with
stated preference data on voting markets.http://www.nber.org/papers/w19965About the Speaker:Matthew E. Kahn is a
Professor at the UCLA Institute of the Environment, the Department of
Economics, the Department of Public Policy, the Anderson School of Management and theUCLA Law School. He is a research associate
at the National
Bureau of Economic Research and a research fellow at
IZA. He also serves as a Non-Resident Scholar at the NYU Stern
School of Business at the Urbanization Project and as a Non-Resident
Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania Institute for Urban
Research. Before joining the UCLA faculty in January 2007, he taught
at Columbia and the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He has served as
a Visiting Professor at Harvard and Stanford and as the Low Tuck Kwong
Distinguished Visiting Professor at the National University of
Singapore. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of
Chicago. He is the author of Green Cities: Urban Growth and the
Environment (Brookings Institution Press 2006) and the co-author of Heroes and Cowards: The Social Face of War (Princeton
University Press 2009). In September 2010, Basic Books published his book
titled Climatopolis . In July 2013, he
published his book titled:Fundamentals of Environmental Economics: Solving Urban
Pollution Problems. My research focuses on environmental,
urban, real estate, and energy economics.
He also serves as the Director of
Research for the UCLA Anderson School’s Ziman
Real Estate Center. Please see Professor Kahn’s website for more information.

IoES/Luskin Research Seminar: Xavier Swamikannu
2014-04-07 12:00 - 13:00
Presented by Xavier Swamikannu, IoES Assistant Adjunct Faculty Candidate”Environmental Protection Priorities and Challenges in South Asia”

Environment and Energy Economics Weekly Seminar: W. Reed Walker
2014-04-03 14:00 - 15:30
“Every Breath You Take | Every Dollar You’ll Make:The Long-Term Consequences of the Clean Air Act of 1970″AbstractThis paper examines the long-term impacts of in-utero andearly childhood exposure to ambient air pollution on adult labor market
outcomes. We take advantage of a new administrative data set that is uniquely
suited for addressing this question because it combines information on
individuals’ quarterly earnings together with their counties and dates of
birth. We use the sharp changes in ambient air pollution concentrations driven
by the implementation of the 1970 Clean Air Act Amendments as a source of
identifying variation, and we compare cohorts born in counties that experienced
large changes in total suspended particulate (TSP) exposure to cohorts born in
counties that had minimal or no changes. We find a significant relationship
between TSP exposure in the year of birth and adult labor market outcomes. A 10
unit decrease in TSP in the year of birth is associated with a 1 percent
increase in annual earnings for workers aged 29-31. Most, but not all, of this
effect is driven by an increase in labor force participation. In present value,
the gains from being born into a county affected by the 1970 Clean Air Act
amount to about $4,300 in lifetime income for the 1.5 million individuals born
into these counties each year.http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/rwalker/research/CAAlongtermHealth.pdf About the Speaker:Reed
Walker is currently a Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in Health Policy at the
University of California – Berkeley. After his fellowship with the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation, he will join the faculty at the University of California –
Berkeley’s Haas School of Business as an assistant professor in Business and
Public Policy. He received his PhD in economics from Columbia University in
2012. His research explores the social costs of environmental externalities
such as air pollution and how existing regulations to limit these externalities
contribute to distortions in various product markets.

Public Policy for Innovation in the Digital Age: Creating a Digitally Fluent Workforce
2014-04-01 12:00 - 13:30
PUBLIC POLICY FOR INNOVATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE SERIESCreating a Digitally Fluent WorkforceVIEW HIGHLIGHTS, PHOTOS, AND VIDEOModeratorJohn Villasenor Professor of Electrical Engineering and Public Policy, UCLA and Digital Technology Initiative Director, UCLA Luskin Center for InnovationPanelistsLori Harnick General Manager, Citizenship & Public Affairs, MicrosoftSarah Holland Public Policy, GoogleJane Margolis Senior Researcher, UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information StudiesTodd Ullah, Ed.D. Administrator, Los Angeles Unified School District Economic prosperity in the 21st century will be directly correlated to a digitally fluent workforce. This will require an education system that provides not only access to digital technologies and services, but that also fosters fluency in their use. This does not mean everyone should be a computer science major. It does mean, however, that K-12 schools and universities will need to ensure that their curricula reflect the growing ties between technology and innovation in the global digital economy.This panel session will explore how to create a digitally fluent workforce, addressing the questions:1. What is the level of digital fluency in the workforce today, and what are the critical gaps?2. Other than the obvious (though not always accurate) generalization that young people are more comfortable with technology, what are some notable features of the landscape today with respect to digital fluency? What does this mean for how education regarding computing technologies should evolve?3. What are best practices or model programs helping to democratize access and opportunities for young people to acquire computer skills?4. What are the proper roles of the federal, state and local governments and companies in fostering digital fluency?5. How can universities work to preserve the vital role of liberal arts education in a climate that places increasing emphasis on skills such as computer programming?All Public Policy for Innovation in the Digital Age panels are free. Registration is required. Seating will be first come, first served. Lunch will be served. Daily parking is $12. Pay-by-space parking is also available in Parking Structure SV.

The California-Quebec Adventure: Linking Cap and Trade as a Path to Global Climate Action?
2014-03-31 08:45 - 16:45
A symposium on the recent linkage of the California and Quebec cap-and-trade programs and its implication for broader international climate cooperationClick here to RSVP for this event Click here for directions to this eventAt the beginning of this year, California and Quebec linked their greenhouse gas cap-and-trade programs. This means that sources of greenhouse gases in each jurisdiction can trade emission allowances issued under either program. This linkage represents a key step forward in developing international cooperative mechanisms to address climate change. As a result, there is a lot at stake in making this program successful, and some important questions for how to do this remain to be answered. What are the pitfalls to avoid going forward? How can California and Quebec best coordinate the joint auctions scheduled later this year? How can we further expand this program and encourage other regulators to create regional linkages?This symposium takes on these issues and other topics related to the California-Quebec linkage, featuring panels of academics and policymakers from the United States and Canada.SponsorsCanadian Studies at UCLA ProgramEmmett Center on Climate Change and the EnvironmentInstitute of the Environment and SustainabilityLuskin Center for InnovationCanadian Consulate in Los AngelesThe Government of QuebecThe California Air Resources Board
Agenda
​
​8:45am
Welcome​
Glen MacDonald, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Mr. James Villeneuve, Canadian Consul General (invited)
Alain Houde, Head of Post, Quebec Delegation in LA (invited)
​9-10:15am
​Keynote Panel: The Past, Present and Future of the
California/Quebec Linkages
Mary Nichols, California Air Resource Board Chairman
Yves-François Blanchet, Minister of the Sustainable Development Wildlife and
Parks (invited)
Keynote statements followed by questions from a faculty panel, then audience
Q&A.
Faculty panel:
Ann Carlson, UCLA School of Law
Matt Kahn, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Michael Jaccard, Simon Fraser University
​10:30am- Noon
​The Economists Panel: What are the benefits of this
linkage? What are its drawbacks, and how should we minimize them?
Matt Kahn, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
J.R. DeShazo, UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation
Severin Bornstein, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley
Bernard Sinclair-Desgagné, Professor, Department of International Business,
HEC Montreal
​Noon-1:00pm
Lunch
​1:15-2:45pm
​Law Panel: What implementation challenges is the linkage
creating? How are they being addressed, and what more should be done?
Katherine Trisolini, Loyola Law School, Moderator
Michael Gibbs, California Air Resources Board
Jean-Yves Benoit, Director, Carbon Market Division, Climate Change Office,
Québec
JP Brisson, Latham & Watkins
Danny Cullenward, UC Berkeley
​3:00-4:15pm
​“Building Blocks” Panel: Will the California/Quebec
linkage encourage other internationally linked climate programs?
Alex Wang, UCLA School of Law, moderator
Fran Pavley, State Senator and Author of AB 32
Mark Jaccard, Professor, School of Resources and Environmental Management,
Simon Fraser University, Vancouver
Erick Lachapelle, Assistant Professor, University of Montreal
​4:15-4:30pm
​Summing Up
Ann Carlson and Matt Kahn
​4:30pm
​Cocktail Reception

Envronmental Forum - Hosted by Assemblymember Mike Gatto
2014-03-29 10:00 - 11:30
Assemblymember Mike Gatto, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the UCLA Luskin School of Public Policy invite you to a FREE seminar on how current trends will affect future decisions in our community, in everything from development, transportation, and the food we eat.Californians are facing serious threats to our economy and the environment. We will provide some not-so-obvious tips on how each of us can do our part.For more information or to RSVP, contact Assemblyman Gatto’s office at: (818) 558-3043 orAssemblymember.Gatto@assembly.ca.gov.

SB 535 Workshop: Investment Justice Through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund
2014-03-21 08:30 - 18:00
With billions of dollars expected for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (the Fund), California has a tremendous opportunity to make smart investments that will combat climate change while maximizing environmental, public health and economic benefits for disadvantaged communities. SB 535 (de Leόn) requires that at least 25 percent of the moneys in the Fund go to projects that benefit disadvantaged communities. To support the development of an analytical and equitable approach for this process, the UCLA Luskin Center is collaborating with the SB 535 Quad and others to convene leading experts from government, academia, and community-based organizations. Objectives include:Advance criteria and metrics to help the State make strategic investment decisions with the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund in, for and with disadvantaged communities.Begin to rank programs for funding prioritization based on these criteria and metrics. Recommend how these programs could be best implemented, used and even modified or augmented to maximize benefits in disadvantaged communitiesA report with recommendations for State decision makers will be released by the Luskin Center after the workshop.For more details, please see the event website: www.sb535workshop.wordpress.comTHIS IS AN INVITE-ONLY EVENT. To attend, please register with the password contained in your invitation.

IoES/Luskin Research Seminar: Miriam Golden
2014-03-03 12:00 - 13:00
“Climate Change, Public Health andViolence in Arctic Canada”Exploiting the differential impact of climate change on the
25 Inuit villages in the territory of Nunavut, Canada whose location spans a
north-south distance of 3,000 kilometers allows a natural experiment of
the effects of changes in the ice melt on human communities. Using data from
quarterly police incident reports from 2005 to 2009 in conjunction with 30
years of passive microwave data available from the National Snow and Ice Data
Center, we study whether public disturbances and serious crime increase in the
spring quarter where the impact of climate change has been more severe. Results
are consistent with the hypothesis that where climate change has had the
greatest effect in reducing sea ice concentration, spring quarter rates of
public disturbances and violent activities are relatively higher. We interpret
this to show that when Inuit men are not able to travel reliably on the ice to
hunt, the public health of their communities deteriorates. About the speaker:Miriam Golden is the Vice Chair of Graduate Studies in the Department of Political Science at UCLA. At the undergraduate level she teaches PS167D, “Political Institutions and Economic Development,” and at the graduate level she teaches seminars on distributive politics and on inequality as well as politics. She recently served as Chair of the American Political Science Association’s Organized Section in Political Economy and is a member of the editorial boards of various U.S. and European professional journals. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the International Growth Centre, and the Governments of Quebec and Canada. Professor Golden was a Visiting Scholar at the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University for the 2011-2012 academic year.

UCLA Green Building Symposium – Building Better Places
2014-02-26 13:00 - 15:00
FREE REGISTRATION AVAILABLE HEREKorn Convocation Hall, Entrepreneurs Hall, 3rd FloorUCLA Anderson School of Management 12:30PM to 1:00PM – Registration1:00PM to 3:00PM – Keynote, Panel Presentation, Audience Q&A3:00PM to 4:00PM – Reception, Entrepreneurs Hall Atrium, 2nd Floor.**********KEYNOTEJeffrey T. Mezger, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, KB HomeMODERATORDavid Hodgins, President and CEO, Sustento Group, LCCPANELISTSMatthew E. Kahn, Director of Research, UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate; and Professor, UCLA Institute of the Environment and SustainabilityDaniele Horton, Founder and Principal, Verdani PartnersPeter T. Belisle II, Southwest Market Director, Jones Lange LaSalleAdhamina Rodriguez, Director of Sustainability, Swinerton BuildersMatt Petersen, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Los Angeles**********Admission is free. A reception with complimentary refreshments will immediately follow the program downstairs in UCLA Anderson’s Entrepreneurs Hall 2nd floor Atrium.Directions from 405 Freeway:Exit on Sunset Boulevard and proceed east on Sunset about 1.5 miles to the Westwood entrance of campus. Turn right onto Westwood; proceed straight ahead to the ramp leading underground to the Parking Structure 4 (P4) parking area.For UCLA Anderson maps and directions:http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/about/maps-and-directionsParking:$12 pay-per-space parking is available to attendees in UCLA Parking Lot 4. To pay for parking in P4, simply proceed to the Lot 4 kiosk, pay the attendant and s/he will issue you a one-day parking pass and direct you to the appropriate Lot 4 parking level.Directions to UCLA Anderson Korn Convocation Hall:Most direct route: Take the stairs (up) located between the UCLA Anderson Gold Hall and Entrepreneurs Hall. Turn right at the top of the stairs and go through the double glass doors into the Entrepreneurs Hall building. Take the elevator or stairs (located in the center of the room) up one floor to the 3rd floor. Korn Convocation Hall is located to the left of the elevator and top of the staircase.

Lisa Jackson on Transforming our Common Environment and Energy Futures: Perspectives on the Journey from Public Servant to Private Citizen
2014-02-12 18:00 - 20:30
An Oppenheim Lecture featuring Lisa Jackson, Vice President, Environmental Initiatives, Apple and Former Administrator, US Environmental Protection AgencyRSVP by Wednesday, February 5, 2014- Reservations are required6:00 pm Light Reception7:00 pm LectureLisa Jackson started her public career as a chemical engineer working in government. Twenty years later, Ms. Jackson was President Obama’s choice to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. There, she oversaw the work of over 17,000 people across the country, including headquarters offices in Washington, D.C., 10 regional offices, and more than a dozen labs. As Administrator, she focused on a core of issues, from reducing greenhouse gases, to protecting air and water quality, preventing exposure to toxic contamination and expanding outreach to communities on environmental issues. In 2013 she left public service after 25 years and joined Apple, as vice president of Environmental Initiatives, reporting to CEO Tim Cook. At Apple, Ms. Jackson is overseeing the company’s efforts to reduce their environmental impact, ranging from removing toxics from its products, incorporating renewable energy in its facilities, addressing electronic waste and continually raising the bar for energy efficiency in the electronics industry.Ms. Jackson will bring her considerable experience to bear to talk about how government and business can fundamentally transform the way we address these environmental and energy challenges.Lisa P. JacksonVice President, Environmental Initiatives, AppleFormer Administrator, US Environmental Protection Agency Co-Sponsored by: The Luskin Center for InnovationCo-Hosted by: UCLA Center for Corporate Environmental Performance, UCLA Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment, UCLA Environmental Law, UCLA Leaders in Sustainability Program, Net Impact, UCLA Anderson School of Management, UCLA Sustainable Technology and Policy Program, Coalition for Clean Air, and Global Green USA.

IoES/Luskin Research Seminar: Glen MacDonald
2014-02-03 12:00 - 13:00
“Droughtthat has altered past societies: What can they tell us about today?”About the speaker:Glen M. MacDonald is a UCLA Distinguished Professor, a UC Presidential
Chair and Director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment. He is also a
Professor of Geography and Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at
UCLA.
His research focuses on climate change,
its causes and its impact on the environment and society. He works on climate
variability and environmental change using observational and other records. He
has worked on climate and environmental change issues in North America, Eurasia
and Africa. A particular focus of his work has been on water resources in
western North America and the global semi-arid regions. He is known for work on
the concept of the ‘Perfect Drought’. He also conducts research on issues such as
California coastal marshes and the impact of rising sea levels. His work has
been supported by the Royal Society of Canada, NSERC, NSF, EPA, DOI and
private foundations.Read full bio.

Dr Renée Kidson on Accounting for Carbon – National Greenhouse Gas Inventories & International Reporting
2014-01-23 15:30 - 17:00
The United NationsFramework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the leading international
treaty for action on climate change. Parties to the Convention, including the
US & Australia, must submit annually a national greenhouse gas inventory,
which tracks emissions and their various sources over time. The Kyoto Protocol
to the Convention also requires parties to commit to binding emission reduction
targets: the inventories are central to tracking progress towards these
targets. This seminar explains the UN carbon accounting principles and how
national greenhouse gas inventories are constructed for reporting under these
international instruments. The Australian Inventory is presented as a
focal case study: the data sources and estimation methods are detailed, and
trends are discussed across the Energy, Industrial Processes, Agriculture,
Waste and Land Sectors. The many parallels with the US Inventory experience are
explored, and the UN’s expert peer review process, a critical Quality Assurance
measure, is described.
Australia has over
20 years’ experience in publishing national greenhouse gas inventories, and one
of the biggest challenges, shared by the US, is the estimation of carbon in the
landscape at continental scale. In response to this challenge, Australia has
developed sophisticated methods and models using remote sensing and spatial
analysis. A key future challenge for international carbon accounting –
estimating uncertainties in land use change and forestation – is discussed.
Finally, institutional and regulatory policies supporting national inventory
data collection are presented, along with Monitoring, Reporting and
Verification activities.
The Presenter:
Dr Renée Kidson is
Director of the Australian National Inventory, and is an Energy Specialist on
the UN Roster of Experts. She is also a Fellow at the UCSC Center for
Integrated Water Research, where she conducts research as a future water supply
strategist. Renée works with major cities that have reached the limit of their
natural local water supplies (from rivers and reservoirs) and are exploring
alternative sources (such as desalination) to support their city’s future
growth given climate change. Dr Kidson performs scenario modelling under
different climate change futures, allowing cities to evaluate their options and
make sound investment decisions to secure their future water reliability.

US-AUSTRALIAN DIALOGUE ON WATER
2014-01-13 10:00 - 17:00
This event will bring together Australian and US Experts to challenge existingthinking on water issues and to explore twenty-first century solutions.Topics for Discussion Include:Global Water Management by 2050How will Sydney and Los Angeles Manage Water in 2050?Integrating Recycled WaterStormwater Capture for Water Supply by 2050For more information CLICK HERETo Register: CLICK HERE

Public Policy for Innovation in the Digital Age: Crowdsourcing, Paywalls, and the Future of News
2014-01-07 12:00 - 13:30
PUBLIC POLICY FOR INNOVATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE SERIESCrowdsourcing, Paywalls, and the Future of NewsVIEW HIGHLIGHTS, PHOTOS, AND VIDEOModeratorJohn Villasenor Professor of Electrical Engineering and Public Policy, UCLAPanelistsTorie Bosch Future Tense editor, Slate/New America FoundationJames Rainey Political Writer, Los Angeles TimesDean Schaffer Producer, AllvoicesRuss Stanton Vice President of Content, Southern California Public RadioThe Internet and social networks have dramatically changed how news is acquired and delivered. Far more people than in the past are able participate in the newsgathering process. In addition, news consumers can also become news disseminators through the use of social networks to propagate links to timely stories. Consumer expectations regarding news have changed as well, with people often expecting nearly immediate information, particularly when there are breaking news events. Against this backdrop, traditional media organizations are working to identify business models that can allow them to maintain profitability while also maximizing audience in an increasingly cluttered news landscape. This panel of media leaders will discuss the extent to which models based on paid subscriptions are viable, and the policy issues that accompany an ecosystem in which full coverage news is accessible only to the segment of the population with the means to pay.Key questions:How has crowdsourcing altered newsgathering?How has crowdsourcing altered news dissemination?What is the role of social networks in disseminating news?How has crowdsourcing increased and/or decreased the accuracy of news reporting?For traditional news organizations, are models based on paid subscriptions viable? If so, is there room for only a few companies in a given segment?What are the policy problems that accompany an ecosystem in which news is no longer free – and in which it is therefore accessible only to the segment of the population with the means to pay? E.g., if much of online news is behind a paywall, and if radio and over-the-air television are playing a less significant role in news delivery than in the past, what are the appropriate policy responses?To what extent to legal protections for reporters apply to people involved in crowdsourcing?How are traditional news companies dealing with crowdsourcing?All Public Policy for Innovation in the Digital Age panels are free. Registration is Required. Seating will be first come, first served. Lunch will be served. Daily parking is $12. Pay-by-space parking is available also in Parking Structure SV.

IoES/Luskin Research Seminar: Susanna Hecht
2014-01-06 12:00 - 13:00
“Forest Recovery” Forest dynamics in Latin America tropics now take directionsthat no one would have predicted a decade ago. Deforestation in the Brazilian
Amazon has dropped by over 84%, and is
down by a third in Central America if not more. Forest resurgence—increasing
forest cover in inhabited landscapes or abandoned lands— also is a highly noticeable process, and one barely
on the radar. Increasingly wooded working landscapes are now more valorized for
their livelihood, environmental and
conservation services. Urban dwellers in the mid tier towns are highly
dependent on rural resources and labor markets giving different kinds of
economic and livelihood ;logics to forested landscape in what has been
termed ?The new rurality?. These
dramatic shifts suggest quite profound and rapid transformations of the
agrarian worlds, and imply that previous models of understanding rural
environmental dynamics (and urbanization
patters) merit significant review centering less on field agriculture and more
on emergent forest regimes. Much has been made of analyzing deforestation
drivers, which were largely products of Latin America’s Authoritarian time but
far less attention has been paid to the implications of forest recovery and wooded landscapes which emerged through the rise of
new forms of governance, markets, migration and “Neo-liberalization”
of nature. New institutional framings, ideologies, political decentralization,
globalizations and migrations and an expanded arena for new social movements
and civil society provided the context for this transformation as did cheap food policies imports that
undermined local wage food production. Finally, the rise of
environmental economies monetized forest landscapes, although
not necessarily equitably. These point to significant changes in tropical
natures of the 21st century. About the speaker:Professor Hecht is a specialist on tropical development in Latin America, especially the Amazon Basin and Central America. Her research focuses on the political economies of development ranging from corporate frontiers of cattle and export commodity agriculture (like soy, oil palm) to populist land occupation. She also studies their comparative environmental and social impacts. She also explores alternatives to destructive development, and analyzes the forms of conservation in inhabited landscapes whether through indigenous technologies, non timber extractive products, niche markets as well as new tenurial forms (such as extractive reserves), social movements and globalization, including the role of remittances and migratory networks in reshaping rural land uses. The impacts of emerging green markets and greenhouse gas offsets for smaller scale farmers also form part of her research concerns.

Environmental Economics, Policy and Management Monthly Seminar Series: J.R. DeShazo
2013-12-09 12:00 - 13:00
J.R. DeShazo, Professor of Public Policy, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs”Policy and Economic Lessons Learned from the Early Plug-in electric Vehicle Market”J.R. DeShazo is the Director of the Luskin Center for Innovation at the University ofCalifornia at Los Angeles. He also is a Professor and Vice Chair of the Department ofPublic Policy in the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA, where he is an expert ineconomics, public finance, and organizational governance.Lunch will be served. Limited space.

Public Policy for Innovation in the Digital Age: Digital Media in the Age of the Cloud
2013-12-03 12:00 - 13:30
PUBLIC POLICY FOR INNOVATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE SERIESDigital Media in the Age of the CloudVIEW EVENT HIGHLIGHTS, PHOTOS, AND VIDEOModeratorRichard Wolpert Managing Director, Amplify.la; and Venture Advisor, Accel Partners
Panelists
Dean
Marks Senior Vice President, Intellectual Property, Warner Bros.
Entertainment Inc.
Katherine Oyama Sr. Policy Counsel, Google
Betsy Rosenblatt Assistant Professor of Law, Whittier
Law School; and Director, Center for Intellectual Property LawJule Sigall Assistant General Counsel, Copyright,
MicrosoftThe move to the cloud is one of the defining technology trends of the early 21st century. By decoupling the concepts of location and information access, the cloud is upending traditional assumptions regarding media creation, dissemination, and consumption. While this creates many new opportunities, it also raises challenges for business models and international trade frameworks that evolved in the pre-cloud era. A panel of industry, legal, and public policy leaders will discuss how to structure the global trade in digital works to enhance the public’s access to digital media while still respecting the rights of copyright holders. Questions will include: What steps can help reduce the level of media piracy? And do barriers (legal or otherwise) act as a brake on the implementation and use of new media technologies?Key questions:With respect to media, does geography matter anymore?Are the current geographically centered models on distribution appropriate anymore?Are the restrictions on geographic portability placed on consumer access to digital media practical or necessary?How can global trade in digital works be structured to enhance the public’s access to digital media while still respecting the rights of the copyright holders?How can music piracy be addressed given the growth in cloud computing?Should copyright exhaustion be national or international?How strongly should international trade in digital media be tied to broader, non-IP-related international trade agreements and obligations?What are some steps that can help reduce the level of media piracy?All Public Policy for Innovation in the Digital Age panels are free. Registration is required. Seating will be first come, first served. Lunch will be served. Daily parking is $12. Pay-by-space parking is also available in Parking Structure SV. Sponsors:Partners:Entertainment Merchants AssociationGRAMMY U®UCLA Alumni AssociationUCLA Herb Alpert School of Music – Department of EthnomusicologyUCLA Luskin School of Public AffairsUCLA School of Law – Entertainment, Media, and Intellectual Property Law ProgramUCLA Office of Intellectual Property & Industry Sponsored ResearchUCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

IoES/Luskin Research Seminar: Magali Delmas
2013-12-02 12:00 - 13:00
“The who, the when and thehow of energy conservation: New insights from real time, appliance level energy
feedback.” About the speaker:Magali Delmas is a Professor of management at the University of California Los Angeles. Standing at the crossroads of policy and management, Magali Delmas’ research focuses on the various interactions between environmental policy and business strategy at the national and international level. She seeks to understand how environmental policies influences firms’ strategies and performance and in turn how firms help shape environmental policy. Magali Delmas’ current work includes the analysis of the effectiveness of firms’ voluntary actions to mitigate climate change. She is involved in several projects related to firms’ voluntary strategies to reduce greenhouse gases in the electric utility sector. She is also engaged in refining current methodologies to measure and communicate firm’s and products’ environmental performance. Previous to embarking on an academic career she worked at the European Commission as the economic advisor of the Director for Industry.

2013 NWRI Clarke Prize Conference and Award Ceremony
2013-11-15 10:00 - 22:00
More information & registration here.RegisterNow for the 2013 Clarke Prize Conference & Award Ceremony
Research
and Innovations in Urban Water SustainabilityRhodes
Trussell on Southern California WaterEarly
Registration Ends November 8 Professors,
Bring Your Students for Free!Student
Volunteers Needed Gold
Sponsors Receive 8 Complimentary RegistrationsThank
You to Our Member Agencies and Corporate AssociatesWatch
Us on YouTube
Research and Innovations in Urban Water
Sustainability
Managing,
planning, and advancing treatment technologies for sustainable water supplies
will be the three main session themes for the 2013 NWRI Clarke Prize Conference
and Award Ceremony, to be held on November 15, 2013, at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach,
California.
An
example of our conference program includes:
Managing
sustainable water supplies and water resources:
Dr. Pedro Alvarez, Rice University, on “Biofouling and
Microbial Control: Insights from Nanotechnology”Dr. Jerry Schnoor, University of Iowa, on “The Effects of
Climate Change and Energy Development on Water Supplies and Water Resources”Mr. Jim McDaniel, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power,
on “The City of Los Angeles’ Local Water Supply Initiative”
Advances
in treatment technologies for sustainable water supply development:
Dr. Vernon Snoeyink, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, on “Municipal Water Treatment: Recent Advances and Drivers
for Change”Dr. Mark Wiesner, Duke University, on “Nanoparticle-Enabled
Advances in Membranes for Water Treatment” Dr. Amy Childress, University of Southern California, on
“Advanced Treatment Innovations”
Planning
for sustainable water resources:
Dr. J.R. DeShazo, University of California Los Angeles, on
“Water Resources Economics and the Value of Water Reliability” Mr. Jim Herberg, Orange County Sanitation District, on
“Innovative and Sustainable Projects for Wastewater”
Rhodes Trussell on Southern California Water
Immediately
following the conference, we will hold the Twentieth Annual NWRI Clarke Prize
Award Ceremony and Dinner, where we will honor Dr. R. Rhodes Trussell of
Trussell Technologies (Pasadena, CA) for his extraordinary accomplishments
in using fundamental scientific principles and current research findings to
solve the most challenging water quality problems and improve the designs of
new water treatment plants and technologies.
During
the Award Ceremony and Dinner, Dr. Trussell will receive the Clarke Medallion
and $50,000 award, as well as present the 2013 Clarke Lecture on “Southern
California Water: Past, Present and Future.”
Early Registration Ends November 8
You
can register online through our new conference website at www.clarkeprize.com. The following early
registration rates are available until November 8, 2013:
Conference Only
Public Agencies ……………………….. $125
NWRI Corporate Associates …………
$125
University/College Professors
………. $125
Students ………………………………… $50
All Others ……………………………….. $175
Award Ceremony and Dinner
All Conference Registrants
……………………….. $50 (plus conference registration)
Dinner Only (Not attending the Conference)
…… $100
Professors, Bring Your Students for Free!
Professors
who register for the Clarke Prize Conference (with or without attending the
Award Dinner) may register up to three (3) students free of charge for the
conference.
The
three free student registrations are only for the Conference and do not include
the Award Dinner. Please note: Students are required to be full-time
undergraduates or graduates currently enrolled at your university.
Student Volunteers Needed
Students,
would you be interested in volunteering in exchange for attending the
conference and dinner for free? We would also seat you at lunch with a Clarke Prize Laureate so you
have the opportunity to engage one-on-one with a leading researcher in the
water industry.
Volunteers
would be requested to assist our staff all day at both the conference and
dinner; however, there will be plenty of free time to watch the presentations
and network with your peers. Visit our conference website at www.clarkeprize.com to download the
volunteer application. The deadline for applications is October 31, 2013.
Please note that we will be selecting between two to four volunteers to assist
us.
Watch videos from last year’s Clarke Prize Conference and Award
Ceremony at http://www.youtube.com/user/NWRIwater.
Register Now!
Visit our conference
registration website by clicking here!

Gilbert "Gib" Metcalf on the Political Economy of Carbon Taxes
2013-11-07 13:00 - 14:30
“Using the Tax System to Address Competition Issues with a Carbon Tax”Abstract:This paper considers how tax reductions financed by a carbon tax could be designed to mitigate the need for specific relief for firms in select energy-intensive, trade-exposed (EITE) sectors. In particular, I consider impacts on manufacturing sectors at the six-digit North American Industry Classification System level, with a special focus on firms that would be presumptively eligible for competitiveness relief using the criteria in the Waxman–Markey bill (H.R. 2454). The paper has a number of findings. First, determination of eligibility for relief analogous to the free allowance allocation in H.R. 2454 is sensitive to energy intensity. Second, providing compensation to EITE sectors through the corporate income tax—analogous to the output-based allowance allocation in Waxman–Markey—is certainly feasible, but tax appetite within the EITE sectors is insufficient to fully use any credits that attempted to offset more than about one-quarter of their carbon tax liability. Third, certain reforms do better than others at providing disproportionate relief to EITE sectors. Finally, economic theory predicts a substantial cost to diverting carbon tax revenue toward compensation of specific sectors. Theory also suggests that firms should treat policy risk no differently from the way they treat the other risks they face as they do business. But politics may dictate otherwise; if so, the analysis here suggests that certain approaches may work better than others to ensure that relief is appropriately targeted at minimal cost.http://rff.org/Publications/Pages/PublicationDetails.aspx?PublicationID=22284About the Speaker:Gilbert E. Metcalf is a Professor of Economics at Tufts University and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. Metcalf has taught at Princeton University, the Kennedy School of Government, and MIT. He has frequently testified before Congress, served on expert panels including a recent National Academies of Sciences panel on energy externalities, and served as a consultant to various organizations. During 2011 and 2012, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment and Energy at the U.S. Department of Treasury.Metcalf’s primary research area is applied public finance with particular interests in taxation, energy, and environmental economics. His current research focuses on policy evaluation and design in the area of energy and climate change. He has published papers in numerous academic journals, has edited three books, and has contributed chapters to several books on energy and tax policy. Metcalf received a B.A. in Mathematics from Amherst College, an M.S. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University.For more information on Gib please see his webpage.

Public Policy for Innovation in the Digital Age: The Demise of Ownership: Digital Content in the Age of Licensing
2013-11-05 12:00 - 13:30
PUBLIC POLICY FOR INNOVATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE SERIESThe Demise of Ownership: Digital Content in the Age of LicensingVIEW EVENT HIGHLIGHTS, PHOTOS, AND VIDEOModeratorJohn Villasenor Professor of Electrical Engineering and Public Policy, UCLAPanelistsLee Knife Executive Director, Digital Media Association (DiMA)Corynne McSherry Intellectual Property Director, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)Steven Metalitz Partner, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP (MS&K)Angela Riggio Head of Scholarly Communication and Licensing, UCLA Library Traditionally, sales of music, books, and movies involved the purchase of works embodied in material objects such as a CD, printed book, or DVD. Today, however, what are often called content “purchases” are in fact generally licenses that can leave consumers with significantly less control over content than in the past. This significantly alters the dynamics of markets, which have long benefited from the circulation of used works. This event will address whether ownership of content is a vanishing concept, whether there should be a “digital first sale doctrine,” the rights of consumers of licensed content vs. the rights of copyright holders, and the policy implications of these and other questions.Key questions:Is ownership of content a vanishing concept?Should there be a “digital first sale doctrine”, or is that question moot in light of the move towards licensing?If there is a digital first sale doctrine, how can content owners be protected form proliferation of unauthorized copies of work?Should consumers be able to do with licensed content (e.g. loan it, resell it, etc.) what they have long been able to do with owned content?(Converse of the above quesitons) Should copyright holders be able to exert significant downstream control of content use?Are there differences across different media types (movies, music, books, etc.) that justify different approaches to the sale/license distinction -or, if licenses are used, to different licensing approaches?All Public Policy for Innovation in the Digital Age panels are free. Registration is required. Seating will be first come, first served. Lunch will be served. Daily parking pass is $12. Pay-by-space parking is also available in Parking Structure SV.

IoES/Luskin Research Seminar: Stephanie Pincetl
2013-11-04 12:00 - 13:00
“Addressing Climate Change: Regional Collaboratives”California has a history of attempt to deal withenvironmental and governance issues at the regional level. Fragmented
governance, siloed decision making, layers of accretionary authority have been
the result. SB 375, one could argue, is yet another bite at the
apple. Where do the emerging Regional Climate Collaboratives fit into
this picture? What do they look like? What are they doing?
This is a preliminary discussion of the rise of climate collaboratives in
the major urban areas of the state, and their diverse organizational structures
and concerns. About the speaker:Dr. Pincetl has a Ph.D from UCLA’s former Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning. She has published extensively on issues of environmental policies and regulation. The content of her research is land use, land use change, with a focus on urban environments and the transformation of their natural environments. The theoretical core of her research is environmental politics, policies and governance and specifically, the ways that rules and rulemaking impact the participants in decisionmaking and the content of decisions. Rules can be formal or informal, hard or soft, but they form the boundaries of what is perceived of as possible. Dr. Pincetl has studied land use, infrastructure, and environmental preservation or services. Dr. Pincetl teaches courses on land use and the environment, environmental policies and politics in the US, and sustainable cities. She also teaches in Europe, including the Institut d’Etudes Politiques International Masters of Public Administration in Paris, and has on-going research collaborations with European collaborators. Dr Pincetl has ongoing research funded by the California state Energy Commission developing an urban metabolism framework for state energy analysis, and funded by the National Science Foundation on coupled human natural urban systems.

Los Angeles Sustainability Collaboratives' 4th Annual Awards Social
2013-10-27 14:00 - 17:00
Check out:https://lascsocial.eventbrite.com/

Water and Energy Efficiency for a Hotter, Drier Climate: Sustainable Local Water and Energy Resources in Cities
2013-10-16 18:00 - 20:30
An Oppenheim Lecture featuring Allan Jones, Chief Development Officer, Energy and Climate Change, City of SydneyReservations are required. RSVP by Wednesday, October 9, 2013. Allan Jones led the London Climate Agency, Thameswey Limited in Great Britain, and now Sydney, Australia, towards sustainable self-sufficiency in local energy and water. He will explain the Sydney 2030 Green Infrastructure Plan, based on the best world renewable energy and water practices. This plan will see the city’s electricity, heating, cooling, and water needs met by local renewable and sustainable sources by 2030. He will tell us why the Los Angeles Region, with a similar climate and similar climate change risks as Sydney, can also take this remarkable course. Co-sponsored by: The Energy Coalition and Australian Consulate General, Los AngelesCo-hosted by: UCLA’s Law School Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment and Luskin Center for InnovationMetered parking available in Lot 4. Public transportation stops at UCLA.For Inquiries: LSevents@support.ucla.edu or (310) 825-4038.Photo credit: Sydney Theatre Company Solar Project, photograph by Sue Murray
