Energy Security and Climate Initiative

[On the California Global Climate Action Summit in September 2018] To me, Gov. Brown is a climate hero. I think that this summit’s been very useful. It’s a demonstration of activism, it’s a demonstration of will, it’s a demonstration of engagement by all sorts of sub-national players, and I think that’s all been tremendously useful. It doesn’t fill the gap of the absence of the United States at a national level. The US federal government can drive action all around the entire country, not just state-by-state.

[On the Global Climate Action Summit] The summit is meant to galvanize and inspire and show ourselves and the world that America is still in the game despite the abdication by the current national regime. To help build the engine of public and political will it will take to protect our future.

[On China and clean energy] I think it’s important to realise that China’s influence here is not simply in the mega solar projects that it builds within its own borders, but also in the mega solar projects that are built outside of China.

[On economic diversification in oil-producing countries] That was in large part because of the realization that they can no longer depend on oil. Tangentially, the liberalization taking place—such as allowing women to drive—is part of the same trend.