The Business Case for Protecting the Climate

Google Tech Talks August 20, 2008 ABSTRACT This presentation is drawn from Hunter's recent lead chapter in the U.S. Presidential Climate Action Project's report to the President-elect. It describes the business case for moving aggressively to solve such challenges as global warming, peak oil, the vulnerability of our energy infrastructure and others. Hunter discusses how climate protection, energy efficiency, renewable energy and other sustainable approaches will give us a stronger economy, and a higher quality of life. Hunter discusses how to unleash the new energy economy as the antidote to life in a carbon constrained world. The global climate crisis threatens many aspects of life on earth, including access to water. Energy is a relatively easy challenge to solve. But providing access to water, both at home and in water-short regions around the globe will not be trivial. Fortunately, in water, as in energy, there are solutions that cost less, work better and can deliver a higher quality of life. Hunter will describe how communities and companies are implementing these and many other strategies to cut their costs and drive their innovation. Speaker: Hunter Lovins L. Hunter Lovins is President and founder of the Natural Capitalism Solutions. NCS educates senior decision-makers in business, government and civil society to restore and enhance the natural and human capital while increasing prosperity and quality of life. In partnership with leading thinkers and implementers, NCS creates innovative, practical tools and strategies to enable companies, communities and countries to become more sustainable. Trained as a sociologist and lawyer (JD), Hunter co-founded the California Conservation Project (Tree People), and Rocky Mountain Institute, which she led for 20 years. Lovins has consulted for scores of industries and governments worldwide. She has consulted with large and small companies including the International Finance Corporation, Royal Dutch Shell, Interface, Clif Bar and Wal-Mart. Governmental clients include the Pentagon, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and other agencies, numerous cities, and the governments of Jamaica, Australia, and the U.S. She also serves an advisor to the Energy Minister of the Government of Afghanistan. Recipient of such honors as the Right Livelihood Award, Lindbergh Award and Leadership in Business, she was named Time Magazine 2000 Hero of the Planet. She has co-authored nine books and hundreds of papers, including the 1999 book, Natural Capitalism and 2006 Climate Protection Manual for Cities. She has served on the boards of governments, non and for profit companies. Hunter's areas of expertise include Natural Capitalism, sustainable development, globalization, energy and resource policy, economic development, climate change, land management, and fire rescue and emergency medicine. She developed the Economic Renewal Project and helped write many of its manuals on sustainable community economic development. She is currently a founding Professor of Business at Presidio School of Management, one of the first accredited programs offering an MBA in Sustainable Management.