Publication Date
2021
Start Date
3-9-2021 12:45 PM
End Date
3-9-2021 1:10 PM
Moderator
Afrikaan Osman
Description
Climate change is a global issue that affects every part of humanity: our environment, our health, and our morality. Among so many contributors of climate change in this world, the biggest contributor is the fossil fuel industry, in which the U.S. industry plays a significant role. Thus, in order to help prevent a climate catastrophe, the U.S. fossil fuel industry needs to change. In the U.S., fossil fuel companies’ climate denial and lobbying activities have caused lack of awareness and regulation regarding the issue, allowing them to emit a huge share of emissions for the last several decades. However, the U.S. government and investors are now starting to care more about the issue and thus changing their behavior, and this shift suggests that the fossil fuel companies in the U.S. have no option but to change their business model: to renewable energy. This presentation will explain what climate change is and how it is detrimental to our home and our people. Then, with a special focus on U.S.-tied fossil fuel companies, it will discuss how the fossil fuel industry has contributed hugely to the issue and how the industry’s specific activities enabled this huge contribution. Finally, the presentation will explore the current shift in the U.S. government and investors regarding this issue and what options U.S.-tied fossil fuel companies have in order to keep their social license: transition to renewable energy.
Climate Change is Urgent: Time for the U.S. Fossil Fuel Industry to Go Green
Climate change is a global issue that affects every part of humanity: our environment, our health, and our morality. Among so many contributors of climate change in this world, the biggest contributor is the fossil fuel industry, in which the U.S. industry plays a significant role. Thus, in order to help prevent a climate catastrophe, the U.S. fossil fuel industry needs to change. In the U.S., fossil fuel companies’ climate denial and lobbying activities have caused lack of awareness and regulation regarding the issue, allowing them to emit a huge share of emissions for the last several decades. However, the U.S. government and investors are now starting to care more about the issue and thus changing their behavior, and this shift suggests that the fossil fuel companies in the U.S. have no option but to change their business model: to renewable energy. This presentation will explain what climate change is and how it is detrimental to our home and our people. Then, with a special focus on U.S.-tied fossil fuel companies, it will discuss how the fossil fuel industry has contributed hugely to the issue and how the industry’s specific activities enabled this huge contribution. Finally, the presentation will explore the current shift in the U.S. government and investors regarding this issue and what options U.S.-tied fossil fuel companies have in order to keep their social license: transition to renewable energy.