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More than 8% of US greenhouse gas emissions originate in the health sector. Recognizing the urgency of change, almost 1,000 hospitals, industry organizations, and trade associations have embraced the federal government’s voluntary Health Sector Climate Pledge, promising to cut their emissions in half by 2030. Practical, cost-effective actions with dramatic payoffs include...

Since Syria and Nicaragua joined the Paris Accord last fall, the United States stands alone as the only country on the planet to reject the pact. President Trump’s withdrawal, after President Obama was fundamental in forming the agreement, means an abandonment of prominent leadership just as the rest of the world’s governments and companies are moving forward to combat cli...

The award-winning economist Mariana Mazzucato has been called the “world’s scariest economist.” Why? She challenges us to reconsider capitalism as it exists today. Focusing on innovation-led, inclusive, and sustainable growth, Mazzucato examines the critical — and misunderstood — role that governments play in fostering innovation. Her latest book, The Value of Everything,...

Cities are responsible for 70 percent of global carbon emissions, and by 2050, two out of every three people will live in one. Fortunately, cities are getting serious about environmental footprint — New York announced its own Green New Deal, Melbourne aims to be carbon neutral by 2020, and Los Angeles will use 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. Mayors are often more nim...

Despite the worthy intentions of government and corporate leaders, the Paris Agreement targets of holding global warming to near 1.5°C may not be met, and many organizations say they don’t have plans and data to actually reach climate goals. This session will discuss strategies needed to design a net-zero future. Presented by Deloitte

Aspen Ideas: Health Engaging Local Issues Series: In Roaring Fork Valley, the realities of climate change are never far from our lives. Pests and invasive plants are altering our ecology, warming trends are likely to ignite ever-larger fires, and an economy built around outdoor activities could be transformed. The term “climate anxiety” has been coined to suggest the inten...

Can a transformative solution built on the conservative principles of free markets and limited government save the planet? Now that the United States is backing out of the Paris climate accord, many believe that any significant reduction to greenhouse gas emissions must be led by the business community. Can such a business-led effort to promote carbon dividends — carbon ta...

President Biden entered office identifying climate change as one of four historic crises facing the United States. Nearly two years later, detractors claim that a lack of urgency, the divisive state of Congress, and a combative Supreme Court could stifle his agenda. This conversation between Michael Regan, administrator of the EPA, and Gina McCarthy, the White House nation...

The story of corroded pipes and lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan – and its devastating consequences for children – might never have leapt into the national conscience without one determined pediatrician. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha documented and publicized the problem, enduring attacks on her credibility along the way, and now fights for interventions to mitigate the impact....

If the world is going to get to net-zero carbon emissions, we’ll need comprehensive, systemic change. We also need to recognize that there is no silver bullet, but a series of actions that must be taken by government, industry, and community. In short, we need a plan. In this two-part session, Ryan Pandchadsaram, co-author of Speed and Scale, lays out a blueprint for savin...

Many experts argue that massive government mobilization on the scale of World War II deployment is needed to address the catastrophe of climate change. Such is the scope of the Green New Deal, a policy calling for 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, universal health care, living wages, and jobs guarantees. But some economists argue it could cost between $51 trillion and...

China is the world’s biggest energy consumer and carbon emitter. It needs more energy, and it wants it cleaner. So it’s pursuing the biggest push for low-carbon energy the world has ever seen. But China’s green drive is messy and uncertain – full of geopolitical fighting, technological uncertainty, and investor risk. What’s happening? Who’s profiting? And will it do much f...

A clean energy revolution is underway here, and across the globe. And it’s high time, considering electricity and heat are responsible for a staggering one-third of global emissions. Coal plants are shutting down, the costs of solar and wind technologies are rapidly falling, and a recent bipartisan bill looks to reestablish the United States as a leader in nuclear energy....