With speakers ranging from an environmental activist to a former Secretary of the U.S. Navy, the Advanced Leadership Initiative’s (ALI) Climate Change Deep Dive presented a multi-faceted look at the causes, consequences, and potential solutions for climate change.
ALI Faculty Co-Chair Forest Reinhardt of Harvard Business School (HBS) led the 2018 Deep Dive, a two-day conference bringing together speakers from around Harvard University to share their collective knowledge with ALI Fellows.
ALI’s Deep Dive Sessions highlight one major global or community challenge where its Fellows might fill a gap. Deep Dives include readings, outside experts, often faculty from relevant Harvard programs, and a focus on problem-solving and practical applications of research.
ALI Fellows also contribute ideas based on their experience and knowledge to find immediate solutions for these challenges.
About ALI
Launched in 2009, ALI is a third stage in higher education designed to prepare experienced leaders to take on new challenges in the social sector.
This year, ALI welcomed its 10th cohort of Fellows, bringing extensive experience in law, medicine, technology, finance, manufacturing, government, social enterprise, and other sectors to the program.
The group includes 12 international Fellows, a former member of Congress, a former head of state, as well as former CEOs and C-suite executives from distinguished private sector and nonprofit organizations.
The Climate Change Deep Dive
The first day of the 2018 Climate Change Deep Dive focused on scientific aspects of climate change and several options for mitigation. Speakers on the first day included Professor Peter Huybers of Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Professor Robert Stavins of the Harvard Kennedy School, Joseph Goffman of the Harvard Law School, and Professors Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Joseph Lassiter, and Forest Reinhard of HBS.
The second day of the Deep Dive presented options for climate change adaptation and mitigation and helped ALI Fellows synthesize the content of the previous sessions. Speakers on the second day of the Deep Dive were Secretary Ray Mabus of the US Navy, Professor John Macomber (HBS), Professor James Engell of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Professor Amy Edmondson (HBS), and writer Terry Tempest Williams of Harvard Divinity School.
Overall, the Climate Change Deep Dive allowed Fellows to take an analytical and ethical look at some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.
Cross-Sector Solutions
At the close of the Deep Dive, the Fellows had a chance to consolidate their thinking and developed some key takeaways. Among their potential solutions, Fellows suggested firms should reduce emissions, alter operations, and have transparency toward sustainability goals.
They also highlighted the role of government, which should develop clear standards, simplify and prioritize regulation, and institute carbon pricing.
Finally, they noted the role of the media and the press to raise awareness about the problems of climate change and communicate the stories of affected individuals.
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