EVA Board member Rebecca Fisher: An expert in environmental economics

When Electric Vehicle Association Board member Rebecca Fisher became an Obama Administration negotiator at the Paris Climate Accords, she was only 27. It was an extraordinary experience that would set the path for her career.

“I played a very small role in this massive undertaking, but I did my part,” Fisher explained. “It was hard, grueling work, but like anyone who participated in negotiating the agreement would tell you, it was one of the more amazing professional experiences of my life.”

Fisher, who holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Brandeis University in Massachusetts, earned a Master of Environment Economics and Sustainable International Development at Duke University in North Carolina, where she focused on assigning monetary value to environmental goods and services.

Once out of school, “I started working as a consultant in the broader climate space, honing my economics chops,” Fisher explained. When the Obama Administration was gearing up for a second term and the Treasury Department was looking for environmental economists, she applied for the job and was hired.

“Treasury had an environment and energy office and they wanted to bring folks in who had experience working at the intersection of economics, finance, and the environment,” Fisher said. “The plan was to have a Treasury economist who could plug into negotiations and other initiatives across the inter-agency that could speak to and appreciate how economics and climate change impacted each other.”

With this mandate, Fisher joined the State Department’s negotiation team as a climate finance expert. “I ended up working more with the people at State than I did with the folks in Treasury,” she said.

Influencing where the money goes 

Fisher’s primary role in this position was overseeing the flow of funds from the U.S. to the Global Environment Facility, a World Bank trust fund that supported environmental projects around the globe.

“My job was to oversee tax payer resources the US government allocated to the Global Environmental Facility and the Green Climate Fund to ensure those funds were spent in a financially and environmentally smart way… funding projects that mitigate climate change by attacking root causes and not just the symptoms,” Fisher said.

At the Paris Accord talks, Fisher supported an interagency team that worked on crafting the finance components of the final agreement, which she felt was “an imperative step forward to a more holistic, global approach to tackling the climate problem.”

Later, she was part of the negotiation team at various subsidiary bodies meetings including the Marrakech COP and the Bonn COP. She also served as an advisor during the Sustainable Development Goals negotiations.

After four years working for the Obama Administration, Fisher spent a final year negotiating for the Trump Administration.

“That was really tough,” she recalled. “In prior years, we had a team of around 50 negotiators, but in 2017 there were only maybe a dozen of us, and we had to do a complete 180 on our policy priorities. It wasn’t a great position to be in as someone who feels strongly about the need for decisive climate action.”

“After that experience, I decided I couldn’t stay,” Fisher said. “I had it in my mind to go back to California where I grew up.”  

Sustainability for all 

Moving to San Francisco, Fisher spent 2 years working at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District focusing on the Clean Cars for All program.

“That opened my eyes to how the right mix of policies, incentives, and community engagement can really change the path in a major emitting sector,” Fisher said. “It also solidified in my mind the important connections between climate mitigation and public health.”

Fisher remained at Clean Cars for All for two years, but “I missed the international work a lot,” she said, adding that she was hired by ClimateWorks Foundation where she oversees the Drive Electric campaign coordinating a growing coalition of more than 100 partners working in over 65 countries to advance zero-emission transportation.

“I’m responsible for guiding the day-to-day management of the campaign as we work on our overarching goals—to achieve 100% zero-emission transportation by 2030 for buses and 2- and 3-wheelers, 2035 for cars, and 2040 for freight trucks,” Fisher explained.  

“We’ve been attempting to grow our engagement beyond leading vehicle markets,” she continued. “While the work in the U.S., Europe, China, and India is critical, we also need to focus on emerging economies. It’s so important to ensure these regions are set up to access the environmental and economic benefits of electric road transportation.”

Fisher feels strongly that to win our climate fight, we cannot allow a bifurcated market to persist, where only some countries have access to clean, affordable EVs and other countries are left with dirty, old fossil fueled vehicles. 

A perfect pro bono fit

Fisher connected with the EVA during the pandemic when “I was looking for other ways to expand awareness of how EVs are a huge component of our climate smart future, especially to folks who aren’t necessarily environmentally minded,” Fisher said. “With the EVA, I was very impressed by the leadership of the chapters and how influential they are and effective at spreading the word about EVs.”

Fisher learned that there were open EVA board seats, and former President April Bolduc guided her through her decision making process.

“April said that the organization was developing into a more robust NGO… not just in service of our chapters but also becoming more of an advocacy group,” Fisher explained. “I thought joining the board would be a good way to share all the things I’ve learned in the EV space and learn from other like-minded advocates.”

“I was also keen to find volunteer work that aligned with my career, so it became a perfect spot for me,” Fisher concluded. “It’s just been great to be here and work with such passionate EV enthusiasts!”