Never Say Never: Leaders of Chevron and the Sierra Club Meet Tonight
source: http://blogs.current.com/green/2009/06/10/never-say-never-leaders-of-chevron-and-the-sierra-...
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- leahl
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Current Green: Who are you and why should we care?
Greg Dalton: I’m a former journalist who founded Climate One at The Commonwealth Club after visiting the Russian Arctic in 2007, a year of historically low sea ice levels. When we weren’t flying around on helicopters or listening to lectures from climate experts, I read Tim Flannery’s “Weathermakers.” That was a transformative experience. Climate One is now a thriving leadership dialogue for engaging top executives from business, government, advocacy and academia.
The United Nations Development Program unveiled its first major report on climate change at Climate One in November 2007.
Last year, Governor Schwarzenegger announced his governor’s climate summit in a conversation with me at Climate One.
A few days later, I had a conversation with Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who unveiled the Google 2030 Energy Plan.
Two weeks later I convened a broad group of people to engage in a private conversation with John Hofmeister, former CEO of Shell Oil USA. The group included environmental activists, including one who “spent my youth banging my head against Shell Oil.” It also include investors, a reverend, retired California Senator Byron Sher, and two people (Van Jones and Diana Farrell) who now work in the White House for President Obama. Around small tables for a few hours, they made new connections and discussed building a path to a prosperous low carbon economy. That set the stage for engaging Chevron and The Sierra Club.
Current Green: What is the significance of this meeting?
Greg Dalton: This is the first time Chevron CEO Dave O’Reilly will meet Carl Pope, Executive Director of The Sierra Club. Chevron is the largest corporation in California. The Sierra Club is the state’s largest environmental organization. The chiefs of two California icons sitting down for the very first time. More than 500 people are participating. It is open to the public and anyone can submit a written question to the moderator, Alan Murray, deputy managing editor of The Wall Street Journal. Interestingly, both Chevron and The Sierra Club opted out of the US Climate Action Partnership, a group of 40 large corporations and environmental groups that are recommending a cap and trade system for reducing carbon pollution. USCAP has been a main venue for compromises between environmentalists and large corporations in polluting industries. The fact that Chevron and The Sierra Club haven’t been participating makes this meeting even more significant. Oil companies and environmental advocates realize they need to communicate with each other, respectfully, even though they have very different views about the role of fossil fuels in powering our future.
see the complete interview at:
http://blogs.current.com/green/2009/06/10/never-say-never-leaders-of-chevron-and...
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- News and Politics, Green, Earth and Science
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- News and Politics, Green, Earth and Science, Environment, 3 more
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McCainiac
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Without environmentalist, corporations are probably years behind on reduction of carbon. They turned research and improved methods into courtroom battles and regulatory nightmares. Right now we could have been energy self-reliant. Our economy and bargaining position in the world would be exponentially better off than what it is today. We probably would have more influence in place like Uganda, Sierra Leone, and other third world countries who have suffered tremendous human rights atrocities. Their motto should be, save a tree, murder a nation. Instead of improving the human condition and letting the entrepreneurialship of American busnessmen come up with solutions to make an cleaner and better ecology, we leap back in time and turn our backs on the advancement of civilization to protect a worthless minnow. And now when a leader in the failed ecological movement wants to sit at a table with an industrial powerhouse to discuss concerns and hash out solutions, meat heads declare a sell out. There has probably never been a more self centered, selfish group of individuals as those who proclaim themselves to be environmentalists. How many of you actually live out of doors or work in the environment?
- 2 years ago
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McCainiac
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akamaial [removed]
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Activist environmentalist are probably the single most cause of the need for this country to ingratiate itself to the oil cartels to meet our energy needs... but that fact would never be conceded by those self righteous tree huggers come hell or high water.
- 2 years ago
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akamaial [removed]
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JanforGore
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Chevron destroyed the Ecuadorian rainforest and is now involved in the largest environmental lawsuit in history because of it. Sorry, but to me this is the Sierra Club selling out. You are allowing the foxes in the henhouse. Shame that environmentalists cannot really stand up for the environment instead of sleeping with the enemy. How soft the environmental movement has become! Do they truly believe these companies aren't looking to gain a foothold in this simply to greenwash it for profit? And I am sorry because I don't know if you expected a different response, but after what these companies have done to deteriorate the sustainability of this planet, I wouldn't sit at a table with any of them.
- 2 years ago
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JanforGore
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Scarabus
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Thanks, Leah! My fingers and toes are crossed that at least *something* helpful will emerge.
- 2 years ago
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Scarabus
