Mike Thinks: Major Trade Associations Changing Their View On Climate Change

Climate change has been the subject of debate over the last year. Especially after the midterm elections and the changing of the house leadership in Washington, D.C. As I wrote recently, crop premiums have been threatened by the increasing threat of climate change. The risk is so significant and looming that private philanthropists have taken action on their own through funding academic institutions. Here in Los Angeles, Mayor Garcetti has been pledging to divest from fossil fuels to address climate change. Even a few business leaders have started to look toward solutions rather than avoiding a potentially disastrous problem down the road.

All these changes are encouraging and welcoming. But to really promote change, a more significant number of actors (influencers) are going to need to jump aboard. With the current momentum, the chance of success is higher than ever. Reporting from Politico Energy has shed light on changing views by various trade associations:

BUSINESS AS UNUSUAL: Several major trade associations like the American Petroleum Institute, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable have long stood at the forefront of blocking climate change legislation. But Pro's Zack Colman reports this morning that those same organizations are now considering major policy shifts that go far beyond previously vague calls for action to tackle climate change — marking a departure from years of a business as usual response on climate.

The Chamber has sought advice from one of the Senate's leading climate hawks, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. The Business Roundtable is workshopping ideas for a carbon tax. And API may endorse the Paris climate deal that Trump has disavowed, Zack reports, though it's too soon to know whether the groups would end up endorsing any specific policies.

Each group is pursuing its own separate process, Zack reports. But the developments, which picked up in earnest following the Democratic takeover of the House, indicate they believe climate change pressure will only grow, especially under a Democratic presidency. "If I were a betting man, my guess is we need to have our act together by November 2020," said Chuck Chaitovitz, vice president for environmental affairs and sustainability with the Chamber.

Environmental groups and climate advocates are cautiously optimistic about the change in tune and what it could portend for political breakthroughs. Whitehouse — who was invited by the Chamber to address firms in a closed meeting Sept. 24 — came away encouraged by the invitation but is not yet ready to count the Chamber as an ally.

"We're not at the point where we can prove this is more than greenwashing," Whitehouse told POLITICO. "If 'engagement' is just a way to kill time, then it won't have been meaningful. But if they are going to do something useful this would be a step along that path. We just don't know that this is that yet."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is one example of further building momentum among climate action. We have heard time and again that climate change can threaten National Security too. The parameters at play toward finding a solution to climate change have been laid out in various news reports. Last April, big bank CEO's even joined the call to divest investments to deal with climate change. Wonderful news, right?

The solution to combat climate change will be apparent when all parties who can influence change sign on to work toward a solution. Any solution should be open-sourced, not competitive, or hidden behind proprietary solutions. We need everyone to be working toward a solution. Each of us can do our own part to combat the growing threat. Find out what you can do at a personal level to deal with the increasing crisis. Make small changes in your life that will collectively amount to significant changes on a societal level. Be part of the solution rather than the problem.

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