Climatenomics: Washington, Wall Street and the Economic Battle to Save Our Planet

by Bob Keefe, Tom Steyer (Foreword by)

Overview

The battle against climate change is no longer just an environmental or social issue. As shareholders demand corporations protect assets against climate change and the economic impact of environmental disasters suck billions of dollars out of the economy, capitalism itself has become an ally. The economic impact of climate change is rattling the foundation of our economy at its very core. It’s blowing up centuries-old industries from automobiles to oil and gas, creating new opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs. It’s costing Americans billions of dollars each and every year. And most importantly, it’s forcing politicians to pass long-overdue policies that will transform our businesses, our lives and our future like never before. The good news about this economic earthquake is that it just might be the thing that saves our planet.

This is the first book to lay out how climate change has become an economic issue above all and how that has changed everything from the business to politics to the outlook for the future. Bob Keefe, executive director of E2, a national, nonpartisan organization dedicated to providing business perspectives on environmental issues, shows readers how this new reality will impact their industries, businesses, jobs, and communities and transform our country’s economy. Climatenomics will be essential reading for anyone who cares about business, politics, or the future of our planet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538168882
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	05/17/2022
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Bob Keefe is executive director of E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) a national, nonpartisan group of business owners, investors and professionals who leverage economic research and their business perspective to advance policies that are good for the environment and good for the economy. E2’s national network includes more than 11,000 business leaders spread across nine chapters stretching from New York to Los Angeles, and a staff of advocates who work on climate and clean energy policies at the federal and state levels. As part of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one of the world’s biggest environmental groups with more than 3 million members and online supporters, E2 is the foremost business voice on issues at the intersection of the environment and economy, and the leading authority on clean energy jobs in America.

Previously, Keefe spent nearly 25 years as a journalist, reporting for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Cox Newspapers chain, the St. Petersburg Times, and the Austin American-Statesman. He resides in San Diego, California

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xvii

1 (Climate) Change Happens 1

2 Drowning Chickens, Soaked Marines, Bomb Cyclones, and Paradise Lost 19

3 The Foundation of a New Economy 39

4 Reality, Intruding 57

5 Beyond Business as Usual 67

6 A Crisis of Crises 79

7 Climate Cabinet 89

8 The (Business) Plan to Build Back Better 101

9 Markets, Signaled 115

10 From Sacrifice to Shared Prosperity 127

11 Following the Money 141

12 Politics, Jobs, and Saving the Planet 149

13 The World and All of U.S. 157

14 What We Don't (and Do) Know 165

Notes 173

Bibliography 201

Index 225

About the Author 237

Editorial Reviews

Read this book, and try to become better informed about why green and clean energy is a no-brainer.

Irish Tech News

Climate change is a hot topic, and one that can no longer be ignored. Keefe, executive director of E2, a nonpartisan environmental organization, presents Climatenomics to demonstrate the economic impacts of environmental change. For many years, the thought was that job creation and climate improvement could not happen simultaneously, but that thinking has changed. He shows how climate change is an industry disrupter, affecting everything from cars and oil to utilities and finance. Entrepreneurs have new opportunities to improve the future of the planet using tactics such as low-carbon economy, clean energy, and a focus on greenhouse-gas emissions. Endeavors like these have created a $26 trillion global economic benefit. Keefe covers a range of topics including how people and economies are responding to climate change, financial impacts, and the politics of saving the planet. He explains how catastrophes like Hurricane Ida and raging wildfires leads to monetary effects like lost productivity from loss of power and the cost of rebuilding. Readers will be engaged by the interspersed examples, interviews, and studies. The book will appeal to environmental activists and those studying climate change, economics, and politics.

Booklist

This book is both timely and essential, coming at this most pivotal moment in the battle against the climate crisis. In Climatenomics, Bob Keefe boldly lays out a framework for Washington, Wall Street, policy and business to unite in an all-hands-on-deck-approach to tackling this crisis. This is a must read for everybody who has a stake in the future of our planet and our economy.

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden

We see the negative effects of climate change all around us, and they are accelerating. It is critical we take action, and good news is that there is a tremendous economic opportunity in that action. Few people understand the connection between environment and economy, Washington and Wall Street like Bob Keefe. As Climatenomics explains, we can blunt the economic and environmental costs of climate change while simultaneously driving one of the biggest economic transitions in our country’s history. Business and government leaders – and anybody who cares about our planet – should read this book.

Jon Powers

The clean power industry in America is reaching new milestones every year, but more needs to be done and at a faster pace to address climate change and the mounting economic costs that come with it. As Bob Keefe skillfully explains in Climatenomics, that’s going to take business and government working together. The good news is that by doing so we can build a clean energy future that creates jobs, drives economic growth and keeps America competitive with the rest of the world.

Heather Zichal

Air pollution isn’t Republican, Democratic, or Independent. Luckily, the economic growth that good climate policy produces isn't either - it benefits everyone. What we learned in California is that we can protect our environment and grow our economy at the same time. As Climatenomics shows us, it takes government, business, and all of us working together, regardless of politics. Elected officials and all who care about our planet should read, learn - and take action!

Arnold Schwarzenegger

With a journalist’s eye, an environmentalist’s passion and a storyteller’s skill, Bob Keefe lays out in Climatenomics the economic costs of climate change, the economic benefits of climate action and how policy and business are poised to rebuild our economy and help save our planet. It is a must read for businesspeople, policymakers, politicians and anyone who cares about our environment or our economy, and a manual for a cleaner, brighter, better future for all of us.

Manish Bapna

Climate change is a hot topic, and one that can no longer be ignored. Keefe, executive director of E2, a nonpartisan environmental organization, presents Climatenomics to demonstrate the economic impacts of environmental change. For many years, the thought was that job creation and climate improvement could not happen simultaneously, but that thinking has changed. He shows how climate change is an industry disrupter, affecting everything from cars and oil to utilities and finance. Entrepreneurs have new opportunities to improve the future of the planet using tactics such as low-carbon economy, clean energy, and a focus on greenhouse-gas emissions. Endeavors like these have created a $26 trillion global economic benefit. Keefe covers a range of topics including how people and economies are responding to climate change, financial impacts, and the politics of saving the planet. He explains how catastrophes like Hurricane Ida and raging wildfires leads to monetary effects like lost productivity from loss of power and the cost of rebuilding. Readers will be engaged by the interspersed examples, interviews, and studies. The book will appeal to environmental activists and those studying climate change, economics, and politics.

Read this book, and try to become better informed about why green and clean energy is a no-brainer.

From the Publisher