First Things First

Climate Change Solutions Depend on Innovation

Businesses are all about solving problems. Climate change is no different.

You may have caught some of CNN’s town halls with Democratic presidential candidates on climate change earlier this week.

The business community welcomes the discussion on how to tackle this problem, because it must be part of the solution.

Even as we speak, companies are working hard to reduce carbon emissions through innovation, energy efficiency, and more sustainable ways of doing business. The U.S. Chamber’s Global Energy Institute has told the story of some of them:

• San Diego Gas & Electric built the largest lithium ion battery storage facility in North America, capable of powering 20,000 homes for four hours. This maximizes the potential of renewable energy resources.
• NetPower in La Port, TX, has built the world’s first zero-emissions fossil fuel power plant using carbon capture technology that will soon be operational.

Efforts to make rapid reductions in carbon emissions will require innovative new technologies, and getting such technologies to reliably work at scale and in a cost-effective manner is what business does best.

Government also plays an important role in spurring innovation by supporting our national laboratories and investing in the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program.

The public understands this. A Global Energy Institute-sponsored poll found 79% of “voters agree that the best way to address climate change is through investments into innovation and technology.” We are working hard to do just that, by leading the charge for major funding increases for federal energy R&D programs that will accelerate development and adoption of next generation technologies.

The business community wants to work with all stakeholders to develop practical, balanced solutions that reduce emissions.

Innovation can get us there, and businesses are the most effective way of doing that.

Diving In

For some of you the school year started. As you sent your kids off by bus you might have wondered why school buses are yellow. The answer involved a 1939 conference at Columbia University led by Frank Cyr:

During those seven days of deliberation in the Grace Dodge Room at Columbia Teachers College, Cyr said he hung strips of different paint colors from the wall, in “50 shades ranging from lemon yellow to deep orange-red.” The conference attendees, which included representatives of the bus manufacturing industry, selected a small group to make the final color selection, and the orangish-yellow color they chose has been the industry standard ever since. Initially christened National School Bus Chrome (a reference to the lead-chromate yellow in the original paint), the United States General Services Administration (GSA) now calls the color National School Bus Glossy Yellow, or Color 13432 in the Federal Standard 595a color collection that GSA uses for government procurement.

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Caught My Eye

Construction costs for solar and wind electricity generation are declining, as seen in this Energy Information Administration chart, demonstrating how the private sector is making renewable energy more affordable.

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The Big Picture

After devastating the Bahamas, Hurricane Dorian is moving along the Southeast Atlantic coast. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation will be hosting a webinar on Monday, September 9 to learn what the immediate needs are in the areas effected, as well as the long-term outlook on recovery.

Looking Ahead

September 12, 2019: The BusinessH2O: Water Innovation Summit will showcase innovative water technologies and best practices that support economic growth in the driest places in the world.

September 18, 2019: Join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, MetLife, and the Salt Lake Chamber for CO– Salt Lake City, a forum for small and growing businesses.

September 27, 2019: Civics education, civic engagement, and civil discourse in America will be the focus of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Civics Forward summit.

To Play Us Out

It’s September so it’s time for Earth, Wind, and Fire.

Have a song recommendation? Please email me.

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