Pressure Points for Climate

Climate change is the issue of our time. As Climate Week 2024 and the United Nations General Assembly overlap in New York this week, how can business and political leaders pick up the pace of change? And what do we need to make the climate transition a reality?

Next week, we’ll round out our ClimateWeek2024 coverage with a focus on solutions.

Spotlight: Bending the Curve

In the midst of a frenetic Climate Week, the?Aspen Leaders Forum ?members gathered over an intimate meal to discuss what they were learning about the field based on these wider conversations.?

Featured guest?Nili Gilbert ?encouraged us to think bigger and look beyond simple graphs that forecast linear, incremental increases in climate financing.?Earlier this week , Nili shared memories of one big vision that inspired her and her board to accelerate their commitment to Net Zero. We need?more?investment,?which raises the question, “What do investors need to inspire forward-looking, long-range progress that will bend the curve?”

News Roundup

1. For Now, There’s One Good Way to Power AI ?(The Atlantic: Matteo Wong) The rise of AI presents new opportunities but also new challenges, particularly in terms of resource demands. Have Microsoft and others found a way to thread this particular needle? (gift link, and for more on this complex topic, see?Data Centers Want to Tap Existing Nuclear Power. Is That Good or Bad? )
2. Portfolio Pressures ?(First Street)?As firms begin to realize “the importance of comprehensive risk models that account for multiple perils and infrastructure vulnerabilities,” what can they do to navigate “the interconnected nature of climate risks”? (also see?Why Home Insurance Rates Are Rising So Fast Across the US – Climate Change Plays a Big Role )
3. ESG is Dead. Long Live ESG ?(Financial Times:?Lindsay Hooper) “Rather than asking ‘How much sustainability can we afford?’ companies must ask ‘How do we accelerate, navigate and benefit from the transition?’” Is this new approach the answer? (also see It’s Time to Unbundle ESG , Paul Polman’s?The Backlash Didn't Kill Green Investing ?and?Tom Steyer of Galvanize Climate Solutions Is Funding Technology to Save the Planet
4. Key Moments to Watch for in New York ?(LinkedIn:?Sanda Ojiambo) As Climate Week 2024 and the United Nations General Assembly overlap in New York this week, how can business and political leaders come together, “building on private sector ambition and forging pathways for new partnerships”? (also see?Create ‘Positive Tipping Points’ With Climate Mandates, Governments Urged )
5. ‘We’re Not Going Fast Enough’: Sherri Goodman on Climate Change as Security Threat ?(Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Jessica McKenzie)?What does the military know that business needs to learn?

Also on Our Radar

What else caught our attention this week?

• Boeing jobs built worker wealth but union strike shows company changed
• Ohio residents flock to Springfield’s Haitian restaurants: ‘They are family’
• CEOs Are More Optimistic about the Economy Than the Rest of Us, and They’re Probably Right

One for the Road

What climate issues caught your attention this week, and where do you think we need to go next? Let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading, forwarding and following!

— The Business & Society Navigators

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Founded in 1998, the?Aspen Institute Business & Society Program ?works to align business decisions and investments with the long-term health of society—and the planet.