Ecology summit
In March, 2008, led by green entrepreneur, Richard Stromback, and Virgin group owner, Richard Branson, some of the biggest names in the world of business and science decided to get together to find a way to RESOLVE the persistent problem of climate change and global warming. It was Richard Stromback who came up with the concept of the summit to bring together moguls of the corporate world to address the threat of the corporate world on the environment.
With a number of participants already investing heavily into "green" technologies, the summit received the attention of the media from all countries across the globe.
Climate Crisis
With an imminent threat of global warming raising the overall temperature of the surface of Earth, the need for a push towards cleaner, greener fuel, amongst other aspects, was the prime concern for Stromback, who decided to share his view with the top business tycoons on the planet.
With the planet heading slowly towards a meltdown, the increase in disease-spreading insects, frequency and intensity of hurricanes, droughts and heat waves, melting polar ice caps and the consequences that come With It, all are scheduled to cause havoc as they arrive in due time.
Calling of the Summit
Richard Stromback, CEO of Ecology Coatings and an avid investor in clean technology, decided to call a gathering of some of the biggest business minds on the planet to find a solution to tackle the imminent threat of global warming. Along with the co-host for the weekend gathering, Richard Branson, owner of the vast Virgin group, Stromback decided upon Necker Island as the venue for the Ecology Summit.
With the goal of addressing the problem of rising global warming, these great minds put their heads together at the Caribbean island resort, looking to find a solution towards tackling climate change and greenhouse gas emission.
The Summit Itself
The Ecology Summit saw people from all over the world come in for the weekend. The likes of Larry Page, founder of Google, flew in from Silicon Valley but were environment-conscious enough to share the private jet with other invitees. The Medusa, Paul Allen’s 60-ft yacht, lay moored off shore, but the co-founder of Microsoft never came ashore.
The topic of discussion was primarily based around electric cars, alternative fuels, green technology, soaring oil prices and overall rise in the Earth’s temperature.
The congregation mainly gathered in Branson’s newest addition to the complex, an open-air yoga pavilion.
The contestants also discussed the importance for countries to work together towards a common goal, the most common road-block that they all agreed upon. Shai Agassi, founder of Better PLC, suggested the introduction of carbon insurance, a kind of risk that insurance agencies can add to their portfolios.
The likes of William McDonough showed off their latest project’s images depicting a building in Abu Dhabi with solar panels for windows and an energy-friendly grass roof over a Wal-Mart distribution center. Larry Page also discussed the problems for Google when trying to get a permit for solar energy.
It was not all business though as Branson took the gang to nearby Mosquito Island, also owned by him, for a party. While the entire gang headed out on catamarans, Page decided to Kite-Surf his way over, heading out alone. Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair’s security personnel followed behind on a motorboat.
Participants
The Ecology Summit saw the coming together of some of the greatest business minds in a bid to find a path towards attaining environmental stability. Almost all invitees at the summit have had a brush with green technology at some level within their organizations.
The participants included:
- Richard Branson (Host)
- Richard Stromback (Co-Host)
- Tony Blair
- Larry Page
- Shai Agassi
- Vinod Khosla
- Paul Allen
- Idan Ofer
- Stanley Fink
- Jimmy Wales
- Elon Musk
- Bill McDonough
- Andrew Ross Sorkin
- Doug Stromback
- Steve Howard
Outcomes
While the Ecology Summit failed to bring out any concrete steps towards slowing down climate change, there was an understanding that there is need for global cooperation for this task to be achieved. The content of the agreement that nations must make was debated without any specific outcome.
Tony Blair announced that the United States of America would emulating the European Union by adopting the cap-and-trade system for carbon emission, a plan that has worked, not entirely convincingly though, in Europe.
Controversy
A lot of attention towards the cause of the summit was taken away primarily due to the location, atmosphere and setting of the Ecology Summit. Rich businessmen meeting on a private island with parties, food, wine and women is more “Wild Caribbean Party” than “Ecology Summit”.
Suggestions that these millionaires were just trying to invest in “green” technology to make more millions over the coming years were widespread and the overall view was that “its a nice thought but the threat is remote and there isn’t anything we can do anyway”. With such great minds getting together to find new business opportunities, there was speculation that the Ecology Summit may be just a way to enjoy the weather for these yacht- & Learjet-using strata of society.
See also
- Business action on climate change