Doing the math: UCLA Emmett Institute symposium focuses on affordability

The UCLA Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment is organizing an all-day symposium on April 3 at UCLA School of Law, titled "Can Abundance Be Sustainable?" The event aims to explore the growing tensions between affordability and climate policy, with a focus on housing, the electric grid, and transitioning away from fossil fuels. William Boyd, a UCLA environmental law professor, highlighted that electricity prices have become a top-tier political issue, exacerbated by rapidly rising demand from data centers straining the existing grid in some parts of the country. The symposium will feature John Reynolds, the new president of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), as the keynote speaker. Reynolds, appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, will discuss the CPUC's role in implementing California's clean energy agenda, which includes achieving 100% clean electricity by 2045, combating energy costs, and modernizing the electricity delivery system. U.S. residential electricity rates increased by 5% in 2025, driven by factors such as utility spending, natural gas costs, climate goal upgrades, and infrastructure hardening against wildfires in California. Panel discussions at the symposium will cover "Growing the Grid Without Breaking the Bank," moderated by Robinson Meyer of Heatmap News and featuring Abre' Conner of the NAACP and Tina Andolina from California Sen. Ben Allen's office; "Affordability and the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels"; and "Housing Affordability and Environmental Protection." Experts will address various aspects, including the environmental impacts of data centers and top-down regulatory reforms aimed at accelerating the development of housing, infrastructure, and clean energy.