Informing low-carbon fuel standard policies in California and beyond
Electricity and grid systems cohort
Team: Adam Brandt, Ines M. L. Azevedo, Chris Field, Michael Mastrandrea, Deborah Sivas, Michael Wara
Model-based analysis can reveal how well-intentioned climate policies may lead to unintended consequences. California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard is a state program designed to decarbonize transportation fuels by creating a profitable market for low-carbon alternatives, such as biofuels. This project modeled how proposed biofuel subsidies could inadvertently incentivize farmers to grow crops for fuel rather than food, thereby threatening food security. The models also showed how subsidies could undermine California’s climate goals by slowing the transition from combustion engines to zero-emission vehicles.
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Modeling alternative scenarios.
The team’s analyses informed stakeholders participating in the regulatory process of the California Air Resources Board, successfully preventing the lock-in of biofuel subsidies through 2045 under the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. This collaboration has since focused on engaging with policymakers in other states that are implementing Low Carbon Fuel Standard Policies.
Learn more about the Low Carbon Fuel Standard View all spinouts