1. Executive Summary

1.a. Introduction

The University of California (UC) proposes to establish the California Institute for Climate Solutions (CICS) to address the impacts of climate change with new and innovative cross-cutting strategies and programs in energy and environmental research, technology development and deployment, climate economics, infrastructure design, socioeconomic impacts and responses, education, public services, and policy action. Research and education are critical components in identifying, developing and implementing solutions to climate change, and the UC can serve as a key partner supporting the efforts of business and government. The UC is prepared to make a major personnel, infrastructure, and public-engagement commitment to this Institute and to the study and design of strategies for addressing climate change as a state, national, and global issue.

In the face of unprecedented social and economic challenges, California has embarked on the most aggressive climate change policy initiatives in the country. The Governor and the Legislature have set forth ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals for 2020 and 2050 (including AB1493, AB32 SB1368), which will profoundly change the state's electricity and transportation sectors. Furthermore, the consequences of climate change will force California to adapt its transportation, energy, and water infrastructure, as well as many public services, such as health and disaster relief. With a rapidly growing population - a 75% increase is projected in the next 50 years - California will have to address climate challenges while fostering the economic growth needed to support over 70 million people. The very nature of this economic growth will impact greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale.

While California has set forth bold goals to address both the causes and consequences of climate change, many fundamental challenges remain regarding how to best achieve these goals. The CICS will address these critical challenges by identifying and helping to design a broad set of policies that target critical carbon-intensive sectors of California economy. Policies must be crafted to induce the development and widespread adoption of new climate-friendly systems and the economic, legal, and policy instruments to bring new technologies into the mainstream.. State and local agencies must adapt to the consequences of climate change, especially in the areas of water resources, disaster preparedness (e.g., wildfires), and new threats to human health. One of the major legal issues for the state is whether and how new federal legislation will pre-empt California's new policies. How should new policies be financed? How should policies be optimally monitored and enforced? In what way and how frequently should energy and climate-related policies be evaluated to ensure they adapt to future environment changes and refinements of scientific knowledge?

Another challenge is to evaluate the cost effectiveness and efficacy of the various strategies necessary to motivate individual people to change their behavior in ways that will lead to lower greenhouse gas emissions. These strategies include regulations, taxes and markets, incentives (for example, time-of-day pricing for electrical use), informing consumer behavior through carbon footprint and carbon content analysis, labeling, or pricing, public education, and access to new technologies. There is a great need to develop ways to evaluate how public choices are made, the degree to which education about energy and climate issues actually influences them, and how they are distributed demographically.

A third challenge is to rapidly conduct research and move into practice sustainable ways for people to live while maintaining quality of life, healthy ecosystems, and preventing disruptive effects of climate change. This requires a focused effort that is unusual for both government and research universities and persuading innovative and productive researchers to alter the direction of their research and contribute to achieving the vision of a sustainable future. A particular challenge will be to develop practices that safeguard and in fact address from the outset issues of social and environmental justice for disadvantaged communities.

A fourth challenge is responding to the need for a changing workforce. Enacting the kinds of technological and societal changes needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions requires increased training of both students and the public in a range of areas. The UC system has exceptionally strong undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral training programs, as well as nationally recognized K-12 science outreach programs. Many campuses also host technology transfer offices and offer extension services that bridge university research and industry,

Each of these challenges requires sustainability as a solution. Sustainability will be the primary criterion for successful climatic and environmental impacts mitigation, and adaptation policies and practices.

1.b. Mission of the California Institute for Climate Solutions (CICS)

To address the consequences of climate changes on infrastructure, public services, and policies that will mitigate the effect of climate change, the CICS will have three missions:

· Identify and support researchers at all of the UC campuses and laboratories who can make a contribution to solving real problems related to energy, climate change, and quality of life

· Establish a system for accelerating research and analysis on specific issues relating to climate change (see Table 1) and its causes and consequences in California

· Educate and train a new generation of researchers and public officials to alter the direction of their research and contribute to achieving a vision of a sustainable future.

The CICS will bring together UC researchers to assist the Public Utility Commission (PUC) and other state agencies in resolving critical problems, conducting research, developing new modeling and planning analysis tools, analyzing and commenting on policy issues, and responding to informational requests from other agencies, municipalities and the general public. It will host active basic and applied research and education programs aimed at advancing the understanding of the relationship between climate, energy, and sustainable quality of life. As designed, the CICS will be responsive to ongoing policy issues and support high-risk, high-benefit efforts, as well as longer-term collaborations, and be a platform to leverage opportunities in federal, state, industrial, and venture capital markets.

The Institute will be an active partner, designing and implementing short-term and long-term solutions to the diverse impacts of global climate change on California rate-payers, businesses, municipalities, and community groups, as well as in assisting the state in meeting regional and global challenges raised by the changing climate. This partnership will serve as a model program for engaging university resources to provide mission-oriented research, education, and policy support to public agencies that bridges the gap between research and application.