The Future of Net Zero

Arthur van Benthem's research specializes in environmental and energy economics. His recent work studies the unintended consequences of environmental legislation and the economic efficiency of energy policies. His current research focuses on markets for transportation, renewable energy, and oil & gas. He also writes for general audiences about economics, energy and the environment. His columns have appeared in the Boston Globe, the Economist, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Wall Street Journal, among others. Before pursuing his doctoral studies at Stanford, he worked in various roles at Royal Dutch Shell, most recently in corporate strategy as an energy economist in the Long-Term Energy Scenarios Team. 

Danny Cullenward is a climate economist and lawyer focused on the design and implementation of scientifically grounded climate policy. His book, Making Climate Policy Work (with David G. Victor), shows how political forces make green industrial policy more effective than carbon pricing.

Cullenward is a Senior Fellow with the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, a Research Fellow with the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy at American University, and the Vice Chair of California’s Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee. He previously held research and teaching appointments at UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Carnegie Institution for Science, and Stanford University.

Barbara Haya is a Research Fellow at the Center for Environmental Public Policy (CEPP) where she directs the Berkeley Carbon Trading Project. She takes an interdisciplinary approach to examining the outcomes and design of carbon trading and offsetting programs, and the limits to the effectiveness of carbon trading alone. The Project coordinates research and outreach to ensure its research results inform policy and program design.

Barbara holds a PhD from UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group. Her work has been featured in the Financial Times, Bloomberg News, the Guardian, and MIT Technology Review.  

Steven Lanou is the Senior Sustainability Project Manager at MIT. Steven helped establish the Office of Sustainability in 2013. Prior to this, Steve was leading campus sustainability efforts as Deputy Director within the MIT Environmental Programs Office.

Nina is the Sustainability Director in the University of Pennsylvania Sustainability Office. Nina leads the sustainability office and collaboratively sets and implements Penn’s sustainability goals, programs, reporting, and communications. She also serves as the University’s primary spokesperson regarding sustainability performance and is responsible for compliance with University membership requirements for the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, the Ivy+ Sustainability Consortium, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, and the Global University Leadership Forum’s International Sustainability Campus Network. 

Previously, Nina worked for 10 years at the University of Virginia's Office for Sustainability leading the outreach programs and communications team. There, she served as co-chair of the Civic Engagement Subcommittee and helped found and run the Equity & Environment Fund and hosted annual environmental justice events. Nina holds a B.A. in Spanish & Religious Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University and a M.S. in Community and Regional Planning from Temple University. Nina is a LEED Green Associate, certified PROSCI Change Practitioner, and a mother who can be found exploring Philadelphia’s parks and playgrounds during her family time.