Climate change has fully entered the public consciousness. Newspapers barrage
readers with stories of shrinking glaciers, disappearing species, and cataclysmic
weather. A documentary on climate change wins an Oscar, a Noble Peace Prize
is awarded to scientists studying climate change, and arcane scientific debates
become front page news. The reality of climate change and the imperative to do
something is now widely accepted. But that is where the agreement largely ends.
What to do and how fast to do it remains intensely controversial.
Those questions about what to do about transportation to bring it in line
with climate goals was the focus of a high level meeting in California in August
2007. Two hundred leaders and experts were assembled from the automotive
and energy industries, start-up technology companies, public interest groups,
academia, U.S. energy laboratories, and governments from around the world.
Three broad strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions were investigated:
reducing vehicle travel, improving vehicle efficiency, and reducing the carbon
content of fuels. This book is an outgrowth of that conference.