It has been a chaotic year with COVID-19 causing more disruption than any other event in recent history, not only for public health but also for the global energy system. Although global emissions are projected to bounce back slower than after the 2008 financial crisis, a sustainable recovery is a long way off. What remains to be seen is whether responses from governments to this upheaval will help or hinder efforts to accelerate clean energy transitions and reach international energy and climate goals. Dr. Elizabeth A. Kócs is an environment-behavior scientist at the intersection of social, economic, policy, and technological advances in energy, sustainability and urban resilience. She has a strong focus on energy and technology for transportation, the electrical grid and smart cities. Elizabeth cultivates local, regional, national and international initiatives in energy, mobility, and urban sustainability ecosystems and leverages expertise, tools and resources across research, public and private entities to address climate-related energy and transportation challenges.

She serves as the Director for Partnerships and Strategy for the UIC Energy Initiative and as an Energy Executive for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and is co-founder for the Center for Urban Resilience and Environmental Sustainability. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx