Stu Ostro, senior director of weather communications at The Weather
Channel, addresses participants at "Climate Change and Business:
Demystifying Science, Risk and Reward." Course participants represented
the business, investment and utility communities from across the nation.
Executive Education
Scripps is a global leader researching many of the natural phenomena that lead to
financial risk and we are proud to be building an educational network
for professionals, executives and entrepreneurs. We offer a suite of highly customizable programs
taught by leaders in both science and business. Our goal is to better educate corporate leaders on the science that links to their business decisions. The network includes instruction and content for organizations including AON Reinsurance, Weatherbug Professional, MDA EarthSat, the Insurance Information Institute, Chesapeake Energy, and the law firm of Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch.
We've also recently formed an Educational Alliance with the Young President's Organization (YPO-WPO International). This partnership brings Scripps into the ranks of other premier
educational institutions providing world-class expertise and
learning opportunities to YPO such as Harvard Business Publishing,
London Business School, and Stanford Graduate School of Business.
One topic of great interest is climate change. Senior executives, entrepreneurs, and investors are reviewing risk/reward metrics in a whole new market driven by the changing climate. This new market includes evolving technologies, alternative energy solutions, sustainability initiatives, corporate branding opportunities, and marketing strategies as well as innovative new investment portfolios. Beyond this, there is a new breed of executives rising to the task of “greening” their corporate environment. To address this market, Scripps teamed with the Rady School of Management to develop
the "Climate Change and Business" professional development series. Programs in this series began in June of 2008 and, since then, over one hundred professionals have participated in two-day short-courses and shorter mini-lectures. The program has drawn executives from all over the country including IBM, Qualcomm, Nike, and dozens of others. Instruction comes from corporate leaders but also from a selection of the world's leading climate scientists. Additionally, the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank recently partnered with Scripps to create a 2-day program teaching IFC developers about the basics of climate science.
Executive education programs are highly customizable across many formats including:
- UC San Diego short-courses for executives with instruction over several days and including practical exercises and networking opportunities.
- Short-form "mini-lectures" at UC San Diego focusing in-depth on a sepecific link between business and science.
- Individualized lectures, meetings and workshops for corporate teams at your location. Instructors travel to visit corporate locations in order to discuss specific areas of interest.
- Presentations and participation in industry conferences and corporate sponsored events.
- On-line content including reports, discussions and multimedia podcasts (coming soon).
In a recent survey by Ernst & Young, "only 20% of responding entrepreneurs say their executive management and
board completely understand climate change legislation and risk, 30% of
respondents think the impact of climate change is very important to
their companies. Entrepreneurs participating in the survey are not sure
how to respond to climate change, however - 31% view assessing the
impact of climate change as a challenge." Read More
-- "Economy not the Deciding Factor in Starting New Businesses,
According to Entrepreneurs Surveyed by Ernst & Young LLP,"
marketwatch.com , Nov 5, 2008
Recent Programs
May 2009 course at UC San Diego - Climate Change and Business: The ROI for "Going Green"
The third installment of UC San Diego's "Climate Change and Business" series was a short-course for professionals that focused on the Return on Investment by "Going Green." The 2009 program was supported by more than fifteen sponsors and partners from across the country. Participants and instructors converged at UC San Diego for this two-day program offering two individualized tracks: one for those working in corporate sustainability and a second that focused on eco-investing. Instructors ranged from a coordinating lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to the Chief Technology Officer for IBM's "Big Green Innovations." Topics ranged from an overview of what "green" means to in-depth business forums about biofuels and the potential that water could become a newly traded commodity. Participants came from many different backgrounds including sustainability consultants, sustainability managers and investment advisors. Hands-on course worskshops focused on specific case-studies and challenged participants to dissect claims of corporate sustainability then offer specific suggestions for formulating investing strategies and new sustainability proceedures.
April 2009 mini-lecture at UC San Diego - Climate Change and Business Breakfast: Corporate Risk from the Changing Climate
Stephen Bennett teamed with Procopio Partner John Lormon at the Rady School of Management's "Climate Change and Business Breakfast: Corporate Risk from the Changing Climate" to focus on the
legal risks that businesses face due to the changing climate. The discussion centered around state regulations, regional climate initiatives and looming federal regulation.
John Lormon talked about firms
that are increasingly expected to consider climate as they conduct due
diligence for investment, M&A activity and IPOs. The instruction also covered shareholders who are
beginning to expect and, in some cases demand, companies disclose their
activities with environmental impact.
June 2008 course at UC San Diego - Climate Change and Business: Demystifying Science Risk and Reward
Scripps partnered with UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management to co-sponsor a two-day executive education course titled “Climate Change and Business: Demystifying Science, Risk, and Reward.” The course brought nearly 50 business executives from around the nation to UCSD to discuss the impact climate has on the business community. Participants ranged from senior executives, investors, investment advisors, entrepreneurs, and managers in both large and small firms. Course instructors included scientists, investment analysts, CEOs, and managing directors. Keynote speakers addressed environmental entrepreneurship and perspectives on emerging climate markets.
Scripps and Rady are working together to offer a second course in spring 2009.
Ongoing workshops at UC San Diego - Algal Commercialization Seminar Series
An informal series of workshops have been designed to bring students, scientists and industry professionals together to discuss the rapidly developing field of algal biofuels. Lead by Scripps Research Biologist Dr. Greg Mitchell, the series of seminars focuses on the application of marine photosynthesis to environmental and social needs including the RD&D of algal biofuel, CO2 abatement, and nutrient remediation of eutrophic wastewater. The Seminar Series is a component of the UC San Diego Algal Biofuels Initiative.
June 2008 visits to Corporate Locations - Climate Conversations: Executives discuss their impressions of climate change
Scripps Assistant Director Stephen Bennett and Distinguished Professor Emeritus Richard Somerville traveled to Chicago in June 2008 on three separate corporate visits. Scripps presented a climate workshop at a global insurance and reinsurance company, one of the world’s largest hedge funds, and the nation’s second largest producer of natural gas. Somerville is a coordinating lead author of the 2007 IPCC global assessment report and conducted sessions in which corporate executives discussed their perceptions and understanding of the climate change issue.
Recent Industry Conferences
- April 2008 - Stephen Bennett presented “Quantifying Cyclone Risk: An Alternate Approach” at the Weatherbug Houston Energy Conference.
- October 2008 - Richard Somerville and Stephen Bennett presented at the Weatherbug
New York Energy Conference.
- Somerville presented "Climate Conversations" outlining the basics of the IPCC process and an overview of climate change science.
- Bennett presented “Operations versus
Research: A Case Study in Weather Prediction and Load Forecasting.”
- April 2009 - Stephen Bennett presented "Meteorology and Climate Change: Consensus, Conundrum and Conflict" at the annual banquet for the Chicago chapter of the Amercian Meteorlogical Society.
Upcoming Programs
- June 2009 - Scripps Oceanography has partnered with the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank to prepare a 2-day course designed for IFC/World Bank staff who find themselves involved in the discourse about climate change as a part of their daily job. The course is intended for those with a working familiarity with the basics of climate change science but who find they need a more in-depth of the underlying principles, uncertainties, and application of climate science.
- June 2009 - As part of the newly created Educational Alliance with YPO-WPO, Scripps will present an exclusive members-only webcast presentation by Scripps oceanographer Dale Stokes.
"Adventures in Oceanography" will be a global photographic journey
documenting Stokes' research in the field from the tropics to the
poles. Through this webinar, suitable for all ages, Scripps aims to
engage YPO members, graduates, and their families in a shared
learning experience about the scientific wonders of our natural
world.
- September 2009 - Stephen Bennett has been invited to discuss insurance risk and the changing climate at the San Diego Chapter of the Chartered Property Casualty Udnerwriter Society's All Industry Day.
- November 2009 - As part of our Educational Alliance with the Young President's Organization, Scripps Oceanography will host an exclusive "Climate and Business Mini-Summit" for members of the YPO-WPO.
Learn More
Contact Stephen Bennett, Scripps Director of Business Development, at 858-846-0065 or stephenbennett@ucsd.edu.
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