Episode 186: Bill Weihl calls for corporate climate activism; you'll dig this new farm-data initiative
The former energy and CSR czar at Facebook and Google calls for companies to raise their voices. Plus, we catch up with Dorn Cox, research director for a new open source agricultural data initiative.
Week In Review
Tune in around 5:23 for commentary.
- ESG performance also matters for pre-IPO companies
- How intensifying tariffs heighten supply chain risks
- Behind the deal between carbon venture Global Thermostat and oil giant ExxonMobil
Features
Inside the OpenTEAM initiative (17:50)
As more tools for measuring agricultural metrics in the field come onto the market, farmers are faced with figuring out how to share what they can, without having to use multiple tools. Enter OpenTEAM, an open-source technology platform that connects individual tools for tracking soil health and climate mitigation. Stonyfield Organic is a founder and more than a dozen agricultural research institutions and organizations are part of the effort, spearheaded out of the Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment in Freeport, Maine. We spoke with Dorn Cox, research director for the center, about why farmers would be willing to share and how corporate might participate.
Bill Weihl: We need to up our game on climate change (27:00)
Renewable energy portfolio standards. Tax incentives for carbon removal. A price on carbon emissions. Government policies of this nature are vitally important for scaling solutions and financing related to the clean economy, and the best opportunities for progress exist at the state and local levels. But the balance of power currently lies in those advocating the status quo. "Companies need to step up and build a real agenda around climate. They need what I would call a science-based policy agenda, and they need to support a science-based policy agenda," notes Bill Weihl, the former energy and sustainability czar at Facebook and Google.
*Music in this episode by Lee Rosevere: "Introducing the Pre-roll," "Evening Glow," "Wandering" and "Try Anything Once"
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