AzBAS & AIC Host Business & Climate Change Summit

On November 16, 2007 more than 170 business leaders, policymakers, and academics attended the Business & Climate Change summit co-hosted by AzBAS and the Arizona Investment Council. Participants heard updates on how climate issues are being addressed internationally, nationally and locally as well as by Wall Street. By all accounts it was a rousing success and an auspicious debut for AzBAS.

Speakers at the Summit included:

• Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham, the United Kingdom's minister for trade and investment;
• Jim Sims, President & CEO of the Western Business Roundtable, provided an update on Congressional, State & Regional Initiatives. His presentation is available here.
• Ellen Lapson, Managing Director - Global Power Group with Fitch Ratings, provided Wall Street's perspective. Her presentation is available here.
• Tina Taylor, Director of Business Development in the Environment Sector with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), provided an overview of electricity technologies in a carbon constrained future. Her presentation is available here. EPRI also has additional information available in their report entitled, "The Power to Reduce CO2 Emmissions - the Full Portfolio."
• Ed Fox, AzBAS Co-Chair, moderated the Business & Policy Panel. To open the discussion, Mr. Fox commented on Airzona's emissions reduction plans (a 72-million metric ton reduction). In practical terms, this reduction equals the equivalent of 5 million fewer Arizona residents, or 10 million fewer vehicles on Arizona roads, or 3 new nuclear power plants equal in size to Palo Verde.  His slides are available here.

In the November 21, 2007 issue of Knowledge@W.P. Carey, ASU provided a brief synopsis of the summit, "Partners in Addressing Climate Change."