We are delighted to share with you the announcement just in from the MacArthur Foundation, naming our friend and fellow member of the International Advisory Council of the Kyoto World Cities Challenge, Michael Walsh, as a MacArthur Fellow for the next five years.

For all of us who care about sustainable transport and sustainable cities, this award has particular meaning. Michael, as most of you know, has been leading a long run campaign to reduce air emissions, as you can see from the following citation taken from the Foundation’s announcement yesterday.  This award provides high profile international recognition of his outstanding accomplishment in designing and implementing inventive, cost-effective programs to improve air quality for populations around the globe.

MacArthur Fellows are selected for their creativity, originality, and potential. By providing resources without stipulations or reporting requirements, the MacArthur Foundation offers the opportunity for Fellows to accelerate their current activities or take their work in new directions. The unusual level of independence afforded to the Fellows underscores the spirit of freedom intrinsic to creative endeavors. 

“The call can be life-changing, coming as it does out of the blue and offering highly creative women and men the gift of time and the unfettered opportunity to explore, create, and contribute,” said Jonathan F. Fanton, president of the MacArthur Foundation. 

Source: http://www.macfound.org/programs/fel/announce.htm

Michael Walsh
 
Vehicle Emissions Specialist designing and implementing inventive, cost-effective programs to improve air quality for populations around the globe.

Michael Walsh is an independent engineer and policy analyst committed to improving regional public health and the global environment by reducing the impact of internal combustion engines on air quality. Beginning in the 1980’s with his work shaping legislation that significantly reduced lead emissions in the United States, Walsh has developed a reputation for finding effective and practical solutions to thorny public policy problems. His bimonthly publication, Car Lines, is widely recognized by governments, manufacturers, and research institutions as a vital resource for information regarding technical advances in emissions control and trends in regulatory policies.

Because of his encyclopedic knowledge of international standards, engineering policy, and air pollutant chemistry, government agencies throughout the world turn to him to help tailor policies to protect air quality that accommodate local priorities and economic conditions. In Central America and Asia, Walsh has demonstrated how leapfrogging emissions standards of the most industrialized economies positions other economies to become centers of advanced technology. Recently, he has turned his attention to reducing sulfur emissions from diesel engines, helping to design fuel standards in the U.S. and elsewhere. With projections of over 1 billion vehicles on the roads worldwide by the year 2025, the problem of protecting health and air quality looms large. By virtue of his indefatigable commitment, soft-spoken persuasion, and unrivaled expertise, Walsh continues to play an important and strategic role in translating science into effective policy action.

Michael Walsh received a B.S. (1966) from Manhattan College and pursued graduate study at Princeton University (1969-70). Early in his career, he worked in government service, directing motor vehicle pollution control efforts in the City of New York Department of Air Resources (1970-74) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1974-81). Since 1981, Walsh has been an independent technical consultant advising governments and industries worldwide on vehicle emission standards. Among his many clients are the American Lung Association, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Environment Program, and the Environmental Protection Agencies of Brazil, Mexico, Switzerland, Thailand, and China.