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Pitch

Formulating smart clean energy policies is the most effective way to get businesses & utilities to make changes to mitigate climate change


Description

Summary

I would break my proposal up into two parts, though both parts focus on policy change.

The first part is simply getting everyone united in demanding policy change because I feel that this incentive is necessary in order for businesses and utilities to make changes fast enough to mitigate climate change. Otherwise, they will wait for a good business case before making any changes. So I call on all MIT alumni and affiliates to use your networks and your persuasion to advocate for representatives to define clear goals and timelines that force these changes to happen sooner. Demand to have the choice from your utilities to switch to clean energy. Ask why new buildings aren't required to be LEED certified, why polluters aren't taxed more, or why coal plants are still being installed when cleaner and more sustainable options are available. Interrogate decisions that are being made and offer alternatives.

The second part of this proposal is, of course, how do we make a universal clean energy policy that gets accepted and enforced? I don't have a clear answer for that. So I'd use this opportunity to call on the MIT community for a solution and welcome anyone to give recommendations on this issue. Do we make a committee of some of the best problem solvers in the world to try to form a solution? Would it be unethical not to try?


What actions do you propose?

Harnessing the combined power of MIT alumni towards fulfilling one purpose and one vision, could be the most compelling force available to mitigate climate change. MIT alumni and affiliates are a powerful community. We are diverse in our ethnicities, nationalities, careers, geographic locations, and our networks. Our commonality with each other and of all humanity lies in our dependence on the state of our planet. Our quality of life and that of our descendants requires that current generations live sustainably in order that our species and our ecosystem continues to thrive for millennia to come.

Admitting to climate change and human’s impact on this planet brings about the biggest and most challenging opportunity that our species may ever face. Who better to drive such a united movement towards finding a solution than the most diverse, intelligent, and driven group of problem solvers in the world. Our alma mater has groomed us to be leaders, avid thinkers, and doers. Now is the perfect time to use our international influences and persuasion to advocate for change and conduct the most important movement in history.

There are many things that need to happen to mitigate climate change. But the one thing we can all do that could have the most significant impact is demand policy change. Most companies, utilities, and governments are too near-sighted to see the benefits of investing in clean forms of energy and transportation or cleaning up their own waste streams. If there isn’t an incentive or a promising business case for near-term monetary savings, then there is little effort to be a part of the movement. More universal clean energy policies could establish clear standards that would need to be met within specific time frames. It could force businesses and utilities to improve their practices, improve employee working conditions and decrease their pollution to the surrounding environment. But for these policies to be generated and even considered, there needs to be a much larger demand for change.

So what exactly can we do to bring about policy change? In a democracy setting, it can be as simple as writing a letter or calling up your representatives. Sound the alarm. Spell out the opportunities they have to make a difference. Propose taxing heavy polluters. Ask to require all new buildings and remodels to meet specific LEED standards. Question why nearly a hundred acres of forest are allowed to be destroyed for a new shopping plaza when an abandoned one sits half a mile down the road. Suggest a ban on installations of new coal powered plants. Emphasize how you want clean energy options from your utilities. While you’re at it, call up your utilities and request to switch to clean energy. For most of us that’s not even an option right now. So perhaps it’s time we demand utilities provide their customers with clean energy options and make the necessary upgrades for their systems to handle an influx of solar and wind installations. Every little poor decision that is made piles up against our efforts to mitigate climate change. So let's start encouraging smarter decisions. 

Again, MIT alumni and affiliates form a very broad and powerful network. So let’s use our connections within companies, academia, and especially in government to catalyze smart policy decisions. Let’s get groups of influential people together and get them on board with this effort. Let’s get neighbors and coworkers together to generate documents with lots of signatures to send off to representatives. Chose whatever option you are most passionate about and just set aside an hour, a few minutes even, to make use of all those CI credits and make your voice heard. This action is affordable for everyone and can take as much or as little time as you want. So there should be no excuses towards this contribution being too costly or too time consuming.

Working in the energy market, I see and experience the challenges associated with getting renewables more widely accepted and implemented. There is still so much denial and disbelief in the world that climate change even exists or that humans could be causing it. Some people will never come to terms with that, no matter how much data you throw at them. So in my opinion, the fastest and most effective means to slow the growth of coal and petroleum is by means of policy change. In my eyes, the biggest challenge then becomes, how do we get policies accepted? That may require a more strategic and focused effort that could spin off of the above proposed ideas. I would call to my fellow MIT affiliates to help in that process. Perhaps forming a committee to write up a document that is impossible turn down? Is that even possible? I’d say it’s worth a try.

I’m typically not one to be demanding, but at this point, we don’t have much of a choice. If we want a sustainable and civil world for our children, grandkids, etc., significant change should have started a long time ago. We don’t have any more time to stall. Climate change should be recognized on a personal level, because many of us are going to be around long enough to see its impacts and be affected by them. Will we choose to stand on the sidelines and hope for the best? Or will we band together during this critical opportune moment to ensure that failure is not an option?