Understanding the basics of climate change is key to making sound business decisions. Stacy works with clients to explain the science, its impact on the planet and its impact on a given industry.
Image credit: climate.nasa.gov
The first thing that you’ll notice about this “hockey stick” graph from NASA is how remarkably fast the global climate has heated over the past half century or so. In no other time over 800,000 years has the climate changed so rapidly in less than a century. Yes, much earlier periods of relatively minor planetary heating did come and go, but we know through ice core analysis and carbon dating that those events played out over much longer timescales, often hundreds of thousands of years. The explanation for the carbon spike that begins in the 1950s is anthropogenic climate change, otherwise known as man-made climate change.
Stacy explains why anthropogenic climate change is real, why it matters and how it impacts the long-term interests and viability of businesses and institutions. She explores with clients how to calibrate their enterprise to reflect the new climate reality and commit to climate action on the level that they choose. The following climate degrees can be mixed and modified to achieve a specific goal or set of goals.
Climate 101: A preliminary meeting to explore the science of climate change and how it impacts a business or enterprise. If requested, Stacy will provide an introductory presentation on climate change and answer your questions. Whether you’re a portfolio manager, industrial operation, endowment board representative or political campaign manager, exploring and understanding the science is the first step to developing an appropriate climate response plan.
Climate Major: Explore how a mission statement or business plan aligns with the climate goals set by international climate agreements and the “best practice” science that we have to date, including the reports and recommendations made available by the U.N. International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Discussions with Stacy include how a business model can be enhanced to integrate climate change aims and goals and how to leverage these initiatives to gain and maintain new clients, donors and/or supporters through thoughtfully targeted social media communications.
Climate Grad: Following a review of a company’s mission statement, Stacy will conduct interviews with internal leaders concerning business practices and climate change strategies that may already be in place. The feedback will be used to develop recommendations for improving climate-awareness, forging a culture of climate change acceptance within an organization and outlining achievable climate-action goals. If requested, Stacy can share these goals with employees, investors, shareholders and/or voters through uplifting and motivating presentations that include a review of climate science, the reasoning for a commitment to climate action and any incentives you choose to offer your audience in hopes of gaining support for the climate policy.
Climate Leader: Moving beyond preliminary interviews, the formulation of climate goals, and the launch of a cohesive climate policy that embraces institutional and individual action, the next step involves leveraging this momentum to influence and benefit the community that a business, campus or campaign serves. Discussions will address how to position climate commitments in ways that drive social engagement with and support of a newly-realized climate-conscious brand. Including climate language in shareholder reports, news interviews, speeches and partnership relations, for example, can meaningfully extend the message you have crafted.
As a Climate Reality Leader, Stacy is happy to share her understanding of the “fossil fuel divestment movement” and why prestigious businesses, endowments and institutions are increasingly opting to divest from coal, natural gas and/or oil. In some cases, these groups no longer anticipate predictable returns from the traditional energy sector and thus view the industry as a future stranded asset class. In other cases, it’s because they have identified new investment pathways that tap into promising 21st century renewable energy technologies. And in some cases, such as local and city government decisions to divest a multi-million- or billion-dollar pension fund, the root of change is often a well-informed and organized public whose understanding and acceptance of climate science has skyrocketed. So too have the public’s demands for government intervention to drastically lower carbon emissions. In all cases, these decisions to cease ties to the fossil fuel industry are rapidly developing trends that warrant review.
Climate Ambassador: Working together, we will create climate strategies designed to place your business, endowment or campaign at the forefront of climate change action, engagement and education over the coming decade. Examples for action are wide-ranging and include ensuring alignment between business activities and global climate goals. Essentially, you become the expert leading others forward to a better, more sustainable future.
Let’s get started! Reach out to me at StacyClarkClimate at gmail dot com.