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Climate advocates and the energy industry are often in
opposition, seemingly unable to even acknowledge, let alone
understand, the other side's positions.
But that attitude is self-defeating for all parties, and a
session at CERAWeek 2022 offered some ideas about how energy
companies can work with climate philanthropists as well as
left-leaning activist stakeholders in communities to agree upon
goals and, ultimately, policies that will make a difference.
Three panelists with deep Republican roots—Trammell Crow,
president of the charity Crow Family Foundation and founder of EarthX; Bill Shireman, founder of Future 500; and George David Banks, senior
fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank—spoke about
bipartisan solutions. Their work at bringing together a wide range
of parties has enabled Republicans to have a significant voice in
the climate movement and produced "win-win" situations that provide
clean, affordable energy.
Climate issues are front-and-center for philanthropists and
foundations, said S&P Global Senior Associate Antonia Bullard,
who led the panel discussion on 8 March. They have committed $20
billion over the next two years for supporting research, advocacy,
education, and policy, she said.
The panelists' advice to energy industry leaders, both fossil
fuels and clean technologies, includes:
Don't come into a new situation with climate advocates with
your engineering mindset and a "solution" that you present to them.
This is about dialogue, about showing that you care.
Throw out your preconceived agenda before you start discussions
about policy or new energy production or infrastructure. Listen to
what you are being told, and expect ideas and plans to emerge
through an iterative process over multiple meetings.
When proposing a project, such as a carbon capture and storage
facility, look for the "Solution Citizens." They are members of a
community or stakeholder group who will get behind a project when
they understand its benefits, and Shire said that surveys have
indicated they are about 25% of stakeholders.
Remember that most environmentalists are pragmatic. They want a
middle ground, and they recognize the importance of reliable and
affordable energy to their lives. When you hear strong pushback,
it's often coming from a minority of the loudest voices. You can
appeal to the majority.
Right now, big-money climate donors are attracted to projects
that involve methane reduction, conservation, and preservation of
natural systems.
Appeal to people's self-interest. Themes that resonate today
are conservation of resources, clean energy choices, and market
incentives. Surveys have found that over 70% of the
public—including majorities of both Republicans and
Democrats—say they support action on those three themes.
Those three themes can be fine-tuned—such as to explain to
conservative audiences that market incentives such as carbon
pricing will make US industry more competitive against China. For
business-oriented Republicans, market incentives can translate to
the tens of trillions of dollars being invested globally in the
energy transition.
Market-oriented solutions are not only effective, but they also
appeal to large proportions of the American public, the panelists
said. "You can appeal to people's self-interest," said Crow. "Don't
accept the false choice that if you accept the science on climate
change that you are stuck with the solutions of Democrats and
Western Europe [more of a command-control model]."
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