Mark Jacobson

Mark Z. Jacobson’s career has focused on better understanding air pollution and global warming problems and developing large-scale clean, renewable energy solutions to them. Toward that end, he has developed and applied three-dimensional (3-D) atmosphere-biosphere-ocean computer models and solvers to simulate and understand air pollution, weather, climate, and renewable energy systems. He has also developed roadmaps to transition countries, states, cities, and towns to 100% clean, renewable energy for all purposes and computer models to examine grid stability in the presence of 100% renewable energy. Jacobson has been a professor at Stanford University since 1994. His research crosses two fields: Atmospheric Sciences and Energy, each discussed next.

Atmospheric Sciences

Jacobson started computer modeling in 1990. He developed over 85% of the computer code for the world’s first 3-D urban air pollution model coupled, with feedback, to meteorology. He then developed the first coupled 3-D global air pollution-weather-climate model and first unified nested global-through-urban air pollution-weather-climate model, GATOR-GCMOM. Zhang (2008) calls Jacobson’s unified model "the first fully-coupled online model in the history that accounts for all major feedbacks among major atmospheric processes based on first principles." Many features in GATOR-GCMOM are now mainstream in other models worldwide. For these models, he coded the worlds fastest (at the time) ordinary differential equation solver in a 3-D model for a given level of accuracy (SMVGEAR). He also developed solvers for aerosol and cloud coagulation, breakup, condensation/evaporation, freezing, dissolution, chemical equilibrium, and lightning; air-sea exchange; ocean chemistry; greenhouse gas absorption; and land-surface processes. Thousands of researchers have used computer codes he has developed. In 2000 and 2001, Jacobson applied his model to discover that black carbon, the main component of soot air pollution particles, may be the second-leading cause of global warming in terms of radiative forcing, after carbon dioxide. Several subsequent studies, including the highly-cited review by Bond et al. (2013), confirmed his finding.

Jacobson’s finding about black carbon’s climate effects resulted in his invitation to testify to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007 and formed the original scientific basis for several proposed laws and policies. These included U.S. Senate Report 110-489 (Black Carbon Research Bill of 2008), U.S. House Bill 7250 (Arctic Climate Preservation Act of 2008), U.S. House Bill 1760 (Black Carbon Emissions Reduction Act of 2009), U.S. Senate Bill 849 (2009 Bill for the U.S. EPA to research black carbon), U.S. Senate Bill 3973 (Diesel Emission Reduction Act of 2010), European Parliament Resolution B7-0474/2011 (Resolution calling for black carbon controls on climate grounds), the 2012 multi-country Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, led by Hilary Clinton, California Senate Bill 1383 (2016 Bill to reduce black carbon), and California’s 2002 rule to not allow diesel vehicles to have higher particle emissions than gasoline vehicles.

For his black carbon discovery and modeling, Jacobson received the 2005 American Meteorological Society Henry G. Houghton Award, given for his "significant contributions to modeling aerosol chemistry and to understanding the role of soot and other carbon particles on climate" and a 2013 American Geophysical Union Ascent Award for "his dominating role in the development of models to identify the role of black carbon in climate change."

Jacobson’s 2008 and 2010 findings that carbon dioxide domes over cities have enhanced air pollution mortality through its feedback to particles and ozone resulted in another invitation for him to testify in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008 and to testify twice in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearings. In the first EPA hearing he was called as the State of California’s only expert witness to testify on how carbon dioxide can damage health locally by increasing temperatures and water vapor. This testimony served as a direct scientific basis for the EPA’s 2009 approval of the first regulation in U.S. history of carbon dioxide (the California waiver).

Energy

With respect to energy, in 2001 Jacobson published a paper in Science examining the ability of the U.S. to convert a large fraction of its energy to wind. In 2005, his group developed the first world wind map based on data alone. His students and he subsequently published on the impacts of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on air quality and climate, on reducing the variability of wind energy by interconnecting wind farms; on integrating solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric power into the grid; on integrating offshore wind and wave power; on comparing ethanol with gasoline; and on mapping U.S. offshore wind resources.

In 2008, he carried out a review of proposed energy technologies to address air pollution, global warming, and energy security, concluding that wind-water-solar (WWS) technologies resulted in the greatest benefits. In 2009, he coauthored a plan, featured on the cover of Scientific American, to determine if powering the world for all purposes with WWS was possible. In 2010, he was invited to participate in a TED debate. From 2010-2012, he served on the Energy Efficiency and Renewables advisory committee to the U.S. Secretary of Energy. In 2011, he cofounded The Solutions Project non-profit, which combined science, business, culture, and community, to educate people about science-based 100% clean, renewable energy roadmaps for 100% of the people.

In 2013, 2014, and 2016, he and his students developed roadmaps to transition New York, California, and Washington State, respectively, to 100% WWS. Jacobson’s New York energy roadmap resulted in an invitation for him to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman on October 9, 2013. Jacobson was then asked by the New York governor’s office to provide more information about a possible transition of New York to 100% WWS. In 2016, the governor proposed and passed a 50% renewable law (the New York Clean Energy Standard). Also in 2016, and in 2018, the New York Senate proposed New York Senate Bills S5527 and S5908A, respectively, for the state to go to 100% renewable electricity. The texts of both bills state, "This bill builds upon the Jacobson wind, water and solar (WWS) study." In 2019, New York State implemented Jacobson’s goal for the electricity sector by passing a law to go to 100% renewable electricity.

Similarly, on October 27, 2014, after the publication of Jacobson’s California WWS roadmap, the California governor’s office invited Jacobson to meet with the governor’s policy advisors to discuss the roadmap. In January, 2015, the governor proposed and, shortly after, obtained passage of a law (SB 350) for California to move to 50% renewable electricity. In 2018, this law was updated for the state to go to 100% renewable electricity (SB 100).

In 2015, Jacobson and his group published WWS plans for all 50 states and a continental-U.S.-wide grid study assuming 100% WWS. The grid paper earned Jacobson and his coauthors a 2016 Cozzarelli Prize from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, given for "outstanding scientific excellence and originality." The plans and grid study were updated for the 50 U.S. states and individual U.S. regions in 2022. The publication of these roadmaps, together with their dissemination by the Solutions Project and dozens of other nonprofits, resulted in the widespread awareness of Jacobson’s plans and the growth of the 100% renewable energy movement. Jacobson’s science-based plans resulted in all three Democratic presidential candidates for the 2016 election making 100% renewable energy part of their platform. Senator Sanders included Jacobson’s roadmaps on his web site and, after the election, wrote an op-ed with Jacobson in the Guardian calling for a transition to 100% renewables.

To date, activists inspired by Jacobson’s plans have encouraged 16 U.S. states (NY, CA, WA, RI, CT, OR, HI, NM, IL, NV, ME, WI, VA, NJ, NC, NE), the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to pass laws or Executive Orders requiring a transition of up to 100% clean, renewable electricity. At the federal level, eight laws and resolutions were proposed calling for the U.S. to move to 100% renewable electricity or all energy. These included House Resolution 540 (2015), House Bill 3314 (2017), House Bill 3671 (2017), House Bill 330 (2019); Senate Resolution 632 (2019), Senate Bill 987 (2019), House Resolution 109 (2019), and Senate Resolution 59 (2019). All were inspired by Jacobson’s plans. For example, the first, House Resolution 540, states: "Whereas a Stanford University study concludes that the United States energy supply could be based entirely on renewable energy by the year 2050 using current technologies."

House Resolution 109 and Senate Resolution 59 are the proposed U.S. Green New Deal. As stated by Dr. Marshall Shepherd, "Professor Mark Jacobson at Stanford University has been a longtime leader in climate science and renewable energy transition. Many of the assumptions in the Green New Deal seem to be anchored in his scholarship." The main goals of the Green New Deal, to transition the U.S. to 100% renewable energy by 2030, came from Jacobson and Delucchi’s 2009 Scientific American paper.

In 2009 and 2011, Jacobson developed plans to transition the world to 100% WWS. In 2017-2018, he developed more detailed plans and grid studies for 139 individual countries. These were updated for 143 countries in 2019 and 145 countries in 2022. Not coincidentally, to date, 61 countries have enacted policies calling for 100% renewable electricity.

The Sierra Club supported the Jacobson roadmaps, and in 2013, asked him to help with a campaign to encourage cities around America to adopt 100% WWS laws. Ultimately, he and his students published plans for 53 towns and cities (2018) and 74 metropolitan areas (2020). To date, about 160 U.S. cities and over 400 cities worldwide have enacted policies to transition to 100% renewable electricity. Finally, over 380 international companies have committed to 100% renewables in their global operations.

For his research and leadership in Energy, Jacobson received the 2013 Global Green Policy Design Award for the "design of analysis and policy framework to envision a future powered by renewable energy." In 2016, he received a Cozzarelli Prize. In 2018, he received the Judi Friedman Lifetime Achievement Award "For a distinguished career dedicated to finding solutions to large-scale air pollution and climate problems." In 2019 and 2022, he was selected as "one of the world’s 100 most influential people in climate policy" by Apolitical. In 2022, he was recognized as "World Visionary CleanTech Influencer of the Year" by the CleanTech Business Club.

Additional Work and Impact

To date, Jacobson has published about 180 peer-reviewed journal articles and given (since 1994) ~700 invited talks. In 2004, he founded and has ever since directed the Atmosphere/Energy Program at Stanford. Jacobson has written six textbooks, including Fundamentals of Atmospheric Modeling (1999) and Atmospheric Pollution: History, Science, and Regulation (2002). These two, plus second editions in 2005 and 2012, respectively, relate primarily to his work in Atmospheric Sciences. His last two, 100% Clean, Renewable Energy and Storage for Everything (2020) and No Miracles Needed (2023) relate to his work in Energy.

Based on the impact of his research through citations to papers, Jacobson is ranked as the most impactful scientist in the world in the field of Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences among those with their first publication past 1985. Among scientists publishing in any year from 1788 to 2021, he is ranked #12 in that field. In the Energy field, he is ranked #6 among those with their first publication past 1980 and #16 among those with their first publication in any year. He is also ranked #1,843 among all fields, among all 10 million scientists in history.