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Building decarbonization is an important strategy for achieving California’s climate and air quality goals. However, reaching the scale needed to decarbonize homes statewide requires addressing barriers that prevent participation, including among low-income and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) households. This seminar will share findings from a California Air Resources Board (CARB) funded participatory action research (PAR) study examining how residential building decarbonization programs can be designed and implemented more equitably. The study draws on statewide policy analysis and pre- and post-retrofit surveys of participating households. The presentation will synthesize insights from interviews with community organizations, policymakers, and program implementers across California to examine how governance structures, institutional capacity, and cross-sector coordination influence equitable program delivery. It will also highlight new evidence on the experiences of low-income households participating in residential building decarbonization, including factors that influence engagement with programs and the effects of retrofits on energy insecurity and well-being. The seminar will conclude with policy recommendations for advancing equitable housing decarbonization.
Date: Thursday, July 16, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Webinar
Please register for the seminar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about how to join the seminar by computer or telephone.
For more information about this research project, visit The project webpage will host the final report, presentation slides, and seminar recording once they become available. For more information about CARB’s Research Program, visit our website or email us directly with any questions or comments at research@arb.ca.gov.
Background
California’s homes and businesses account for roughly 12% of statewide greenhouse gas emissions and also emit harmful air pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and fine particles, that are linked to asthma, heart disease, and other health problems. Switching from polluting appliances to clean, zero-emission ones can cut pollution, improve indoor and outdoor air quality, and support progress towards the state’s climate goals.
While many of the barriers to housing decarbonization are well-known, including cost, access to finance, access to information, technical capacity, owner-renter split incentives, risk of renter displacement, and trust, there has been significantly less research on practical implementation pathways that can overcome these barriers. Disadvantaged communities are also often underrepresented in research and policy design efforts, which deepens distrust, and leads to poorly designed intervention measures. More equity-focused analysis can help improve the effectiveness of equitable building decarbonization implementation among disadvantaged communities.
Speaker Biographies
Dr. Carolina Reid is the Faculty Research Advisor at the Terner Center for Housing Innovation. Carolina specializes in housing and community development, with a specific focus on access to credit, affordable housing and homelessness, and the links between housing policy, equity, and sustainability.
Dr. Rachel Morello-Frosch is an environmental health scientist and Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on social determinants of environmental health disparities.
Yael Nidam is a Ph.D. student in City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on the intersections of climate change, housing affordability, and the energy transition, using participatory and data-driven approaches to work with governments, industry, and community organizations to advance equitable, healthy, and resilient cities.
Special Accommodations Request
Consistent with California Government Code section 7290 et seq., special accommodation or language needs may be provided for any of the following:
- Documents made available in an alternate format or another language; and
- A disability-related reasonable accommodation.
To request these special accommodations or language interpretation needs, please contact staff at buildingdecarb@arb.ca.gov as soon as possible, but no later than ten business days before the event. TTY/TDD/Speech to Speech users may dial 711 for the California Relay Services.
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