SACRAMENTO – Today the California Air Resources Board adopted its Triennial Strategic Research Plan. The plan serves as a roadmap for research planning for fiscal years 2021-2024, and ensures that CARB’s research portfolio addresses policy and program needs.

The Triennial Plan guides CARB’s annual selection of research contracts, which are fulfilled through in-house work, external contracts and collaborative research projects. It acts as a resource for those interested in CARB’s research priorities for the 2021-2024 fiscal years, informing sister agencies, universities and communities of our priorities in order to encourage engagement and collaboration. The new plan aims to increase efforts to engage additional regional universities, foster cross-university and community partnerships, and fully integrate racial equity into CARB’s research activities and projects.

“Our mission to provide sound and timely scientific results that inform our work to meet health-based air quality and climate goals guides CARB’s Research Program,” CARB Chair Liane Randolph said. “Our research initiatives reflect not only these fundamental goals, but also evolving priorities, from wildfires and equity to COVID-19 and carbon neutrality.”

These goals, also outlined in the Shared Vision and Roadmap, guide the plan:

• Providing healthful air for all Californians
• Achieving carbon neutrality (net zero CO₂ emissions) and thereafter ‘net negative,’ by balancing CO₂ emissions with removal or elimination of CO₂, then removing or sequestering more CO₂ than is emitted
• Reducing emissions in communities heavily burdened by pollution and environmental stressors

One important new chapter in the Triennial Plan outlines CARB’s commitment to begin the process to operationalize racial equity and social justice into its research. CARB's Research Division will develop a Racial Equity Framework to supplement the Triennial Research Plan; a community engagement process set to begin early this summer will help inform how CARB will ultimately carry out this commitment. We understand the need for greater public engagement, which will result in research that better addresses community needs and helps shape broader statewide research efforts.

“When our research is better focused to benefit the most vulnerable among us it will lead to policies and programs that better protect all Californians from the harmful effects of air pollution and climate change,” CARB Research Division Chief Elizabeth Scheehle said.

The Board adopted Resolution 20-33 on Oct. 22, 2020, committing to racial equity and social justice at every level of CARB’s operations. This new chapter marks the first step toward creating a framework that includes racial equity in CARB’s research projects and processes, breaks down barriers to authentic engagement and leads to more equitable outcomes.

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Direct CARB research program questions to research@arb.ca.gov.