Sustainability Policy – Hastening the Transition to a Cleaner Economy

Sustainability Policy – Hastening the Transition to a Cleaner Economy, a new book that provides a framework for sustainability policy at the federal, state, and local levels, launched at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) on February 4^th, 2015. The three authors, Steven Cohen, William Eimicke, and Alison Miller, spoke about the recent work, which was published in January. Curtis Probst, the Managing Director of the Rocky Mountain Institute, introduced the event. “I can tell you we are very fortunate here tonight,” Probst said, “to have three people who can do, who can teach, and who have had very fulfilling professions before joining Columbia University.” Steven Cohen is Executive director of the Earth Institute, and a professor in the Practice of Public Affairs at the SIPA. Bill Eimicke is Director of the Picker Center for Executive Education at SIPA. Alison Miller is Deputy Executive Director of the Earth Institute.

The event began with Steven Cohen discussing the goals of the book. The authors’ principle objective was to answer the question ‘What can government do to bring about sustainability?’ and show the importance of partnerships between the public and private sectors. The private sector will not pursue a sustainable agenda on its own, and the public sector cannot do it without the private sector. There needs to be a true collaboration between the two sectors to build a truly sustainable economy.

Alison Miller continued, explaining how society can be improved through sustainability policy, identifying major areas where government can focus. With the tax system, the government needs to create financial mechanisms, such as subsidies, to encourage private investment in the sustainability field. Government has traditionally had the role of developing major infrastructure, such as roads and airports. Government needs to not only continue this work and upgrade these systems, but also needs to build infrastructure for the next century, such as smart grids, high speed rail, high speed internet, and other things that encourage sustainability. Government should also play a role in measuring a sustainable economy, involving the private sector as companies report their sustainability achievements. There is currently no guide as to how sustainability should be measured, and the private and non-profit sectors are simply not suited to accomplish creating such standards.

Probst pointed out that much of the new book focuses on energy, specifically what can be done to encourage renewable energy implementation. Why is energy so important and what role should government play in the energy arena? Cohen explained that he always emphasizes thatenergy is the central issue of sustainability. We are addicted to fossil fuels, which will eventually become too expensive to use. All sustainability issues, such as waste management and water treatment, require energy; if we don’t let go of fossil fuels, we will be in trouble. Cohen does not think the answer is to quickly raise the price of fossil fuels, but rather it is to lower the price of renewable energy technologies. This is because energy is so important to economic life and essential to everything we make and do. We need to ensure that the supply is continuous.

Bill Eimicke stated that he’s an optimist, always looking at a glass as half full. He hopes that for sustainability this book becomes the Joy of Cooking, a guideline for sustainability policy makers. It’s not necessarily a page-turner, but is an important collection of policy suggestions. Last year, Eimicke noted, for one day in May Germany managed to produce 75% of the energy it used in the entire nation with renewables, of which the largest component was solar. It is all an issue of management. Germany’s plan is to power 80% of the nation continuously with renewables by 2050, and they are well on their way to achieving that goal. Other similar examples of projects that are certainly possible are provided in the book. The solutions to many sustainability problems are already in practice somewhere. What we need now is the leadership.