Speaker: Prof. Daniel Sperling, University of California, Davis. Abstract: The world is headed toward two billion vehicles. Is this sustainable? Not without transforming vehicles, fuels, and transportation generally—not only in the U.S., but virtually everywhere. Professor Sperling will examine the roots of the problem: the resistant auto industry, dysfunctional oil markets, shortsighted government policies, and unmotivated consumers. He will examine alternative fuel failures and successes, shrinking price elasticity of demand for gasoline, the evolving transportation monoculture, the advent of hybrids and other advanced technologies, and recent shifts in vehicle mix — within the context of California and US public policy. He will focus on the role of innovation and policy in bringing about low carbon fuels, electric-drive vehicles, socially-responsible behavior, enhanced mobility services, and low-carbon cities. The seminar is jointly sponsored by the Joint MIT Energy Initiative and the MIT Transportation Program.

About the Speaker: Daniel Sperling is Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science and Policy, founding Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies, and interim Director of the EneRgy Efficiency Center at the University of California, Davis (ITS-Davis). In February 2007, Governor Schwarzenegger appointed Dr. Sperling to the "automotive" seat on the California Air Resources Board. He is author or editor of 200 papers and reports and 11 books (including Two Billion Cars, Oxford University Press), has served on 11 National Academies committees, was selected as a National Associate of the National Academies, and chairs the Future of Mobility council of the Davos World Economic Forum. He has recently appeared on the Jon Stewart Daily Show and NPR's Fresh Air and Science Friday. Professor Sperling earned his Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley (with minors in Economics and Energy & Resources) and his B.S. in Environmental Engineering and Urban Planning from Cornell University. Professor Sperling worked two years as an environmental planner for the US Environmental Protection Agency and two years as an urban planner in the Peace Corps in Honduras.