Staying the Course on Climate: Navigating Uncertainty with Energy and Optimism
Join us for ERG’s 31st Annual Lecture on Energy and the Environment, where Mary D. Nichols will be conversing with Carla J. Peterman in an engaging discussion about their careers, their insights, and how we as people who care about a sustainable environment and a just society maintain our values during these times of drastic changes.
Mary D. Nichols is widely recognized for a career as one of the world’s most important environmental regulators. As chair of the California Air and Resources Board, California’s powerful air pollution and climate regulatory agency from 1975-1982 and then from 2007-2020, she led California’s pathbreaking battle to cut smog and carbon emissions. Under Nichols’ leadership, CARB enacted the first comprehensive cap on industrial greenhouse gas emissions by any major regulatory agency in the world. Nichols and CARB also crafted and enforced regulations that slashed air pollution from cars and light trucks by over 99%, paved the way for a new generation of advanced biofuels, and created the roadmap for a transition to a fully electrified transportation system. Nichols continues this work as Distinguished Counsel at UCLA Law School. She also serves as the Vice-Chair of the China-California Climate Institute and as Co-Chair of the Coalition for Reimagined Mobility.
Carla J. Peterman is Executive Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer at PG&E Corpora-tion, the parent company of Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Peterman has spent her career focused on California’s energy policy and regulatory landscape. Prior to joining PG&E in 2021, Peterman served as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Regulatory Affairs at Southern California Edison. Before that she served a six-year term as a Commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission. Before her CPUC appointment, Peterman served on the California Energy Commission, where she was the lead commissioner for renewables, transportation, and natural gas. Peterman holds a BA from Howard University, a PhD in energy and resources from the University of California, Berkeley, and MS and MBA degrees from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar.
This lecture will be held on May 2, 2025 from 7-8:30pm in Stanley Hall at UC Berkeley. This event is free and open to the public. Hope to see you there!