Sonia Aggarwal

Senior Advisor to the President for Climate Policy and Innovation

Sonia Aggarwal was appointed senior advisor to President Biden for climate policy and innovation in the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy in January 2021.

Previously, Aggarwal was vice president of Energy Innovation, where she led initiatives to identify and design energy policies that will reduce emissions in the highest emitting countries around the world. Using a computer model developed in-house, Aggarwal and her team quantified the cost and emissions impacts that climate and energy policies have within a region, providing tailored advice on how to design these policies for maximum effectiveness.

In 2012, Aggarwal spearheaded the creation of America’s Power Plan, which produces and curates expert information for decision-makers—utility regulators, governors’ staffs, power system operators and many more—providing tailored advice on how to lead and support the transition to a decarbonized power system.

Prior to Energy Innovation, she managed global research at ClimateWorks Foundation and advised on several clean energy initiatives. Aggarwal holds a B.S. from Haverford College in astronomy and physics, and an M.S. from Stanford University in engineering, focused on energy.

Energy

Technology

clean energy

nuclear

policy

Live Event Appearances

Past event

How Some Countries Are Solving Climate Change

Climate change is a global problem that no one country can solve on its own. And when it comes to cutting emissions, some countries are moving quickly. But the absence of U.S. climate leadership is causing others to ease off their goals.

Podcast Guest Appearances

How Some Countries Are Solving Climate Change

Jan 17 2019 - 6:30pm

When it comes to cutting emissions, there are many paths to success. Sweden, France, South Korea, and Ontario have all taken steps to replace fossil fuels with nuclear, hydro and renewable energy, while China is expanding electric car and battery production. But the absence of U.S. climate leadership is causing heads of state to ease off their goals, and violent protests in France against higher diesel taxes are casting a shadow over efforts to combat climate change. Who’s moving ahead and who’s moving backward in the transition to a clean energy economy?

REWIND: Drawdown / Solving Climate Change

To solve climate change, where is best place to start?

The organization Project Drawdown has published a list of top solutions for climate change – impactful actions already in existence that not only reduce carbon emissions, but also improve lives, create jobs and generate community resilience.

John Kerry, Gina McCarthy and Biden’s Climate Team

Joe Biden did not start out as the “climate candidate” – that was a title first claimed by Washington Governor Jay Inslee, one of more than two dozen Democratic candidates jockeying for position in the early days of the 2020 presidential campaign. When Inslee spoke on the Climate One stage in May of 2020, climate was top of mind for him.

“Everybody’s got a to do list right on your refrigerator,” Inslee said. “This cannot be just on the next president's to do list, because if it's not job one, it won't get done.”