Conference Presentation, Fireside Chat
MIc'd Up | The Sustainability Revolution, With Al Gore
- Los Angeles will dedicate the next decade to preparing for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games while tying its economic growth to sustainability goals.
- Specific LA initiatives include launching electric vehicle car shares in impoverished communities, employing veterans to install solar panels in low-income zip codes, and providing green revolution opportunities across all demographics.
- The Port of Los Angeles is expected to maintain its role in facilitating national goods entry and fueling employment, while the city's airport will retain its status as a top global origination and destination hub.
- The Climate Mayors group is projected to expand as US cities commit to the Paris Climate Accords independent of national leadership actions.
- Los Angeles firefighters face escalating risks from climate change, exemplified by record-breaking fire events such as the loss of a firefighter in California's largest fire.
- Globally, the urban population share is predicted to rise to 70%, shifting the center of economic gravity toward China and emerging Asian economies.
- Atmospheric conditions include stabilized man-made warming pollution rates (though a downward trend remains necessary), rising air temperatures, more frequent unseasonable extreme weather, and a continued splitting of the polar vortex.
- Arctic ice is expected to melt rapidly, potentially becoming ice-free during summers sooner than anticipated.
- Low-lying coastal areas face routine high-tide flooding that may force population displacement.
- Ocean storms will intensify with increased moisture content, and extreme weather events formerly deemed "once-in-a-thousand-year" occurrences will become more frequent.
- Flood events at the World Trade Center Memorial site are projected to transition from a "once-in-500-year" frequency to a "once-in-25-year" frequency, eventually becoming "once-in-five-year" events within 17 to 28 years.
- Atmospheric rivers and precipitation anomalies are forecast to become four times more common than they were in 1980.
- Droughts are expected to become more severe, occurring more quickly and lasting longer due to heat-induced soil moisture loss.
- Water scarcity in the Western Cape may lead Cape Town to run out of water on "Zero Day," a scenario previously projected for August 27th.
- Twenty million people in the Middle East face imminent starvation risks due to climate-related droughts.
- The American Southwest and Colorado are experiencing a "Millennium Drought" lasting eighteen years, while West fire seasons are projected to extend by 105 days annually compared to the 1970s.
- Climate-induced environmental stress is expected to destabilize regions, potentially creating uninhabitable areas in North Africa and the Middle East and fueling refugee crises.
- Land-based species are migrating toward the poles at an average rate of 15 feet per day, risking the extinction of half of these species.
- Global investments in renewables are anticipated to significantly exceed fossil fuel investments, with solar and wind capacity growing exponentially.
- Solar costs may drop to one cent per kilowatt hour by the end of the current calendar year, while battery storage costs are projected to fall below the $100 per kilowatt hour barrier.
- Solar installer jobs are forecast to be the fastest-growing employment sector in the US during the second half of the next decade.
- Half of the world's bus fleet is expected to be electric within seven years, with General Motors and Volvo continuing shifts away from internal combustion engines.
- The powertrain cost for electric vehicles is expected to cross over, accelerating the transition away from internal combustion engines.
- Artificial intelligence will enhance the precision of electron and atom management to significantly reduce energy consumption.
- US states, cities, colleges, and 130 global companies will accelerate commitments to achieve 100% renewable energy targets.
- India and China are projected to exceed their Paris Agreement commitments, while the US is expected to meet or exceed its obligations regardless of national leadership changes.
- If the US withdraws from the Paris Agreement, a new President could re-enter within 30 days of taking office.
- The World Bank is expected to dedicate approximately $30 billion annually to climate change by 2020.
- China, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Indonesia face challenges regarding the cost of capital for new coal-fired power plants.
- Business leaders and investors are moving faster on climate commitments than many governments, with a shift away from short-term performance metrics toward long-term value recognition.
- The UK government is rewriting regulations to mandate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria as part of fiduciary responsibility.
- Companies prioritizing ESG in management are likely to outperform peers in most market sectors, including Apple.
- A global cap and trade regime may emerge under WTO rules, imposing direct or indirect carbon fees on nations.
- U.S. climate denial is expected to persist despite a generational shift in values among young people.
- The gap between politically feasible action and the minimum required by physics will continue to narrow while the overall problem remains urgent.
- Natural gas may cease to function as a viable transition fuel due to methane leakage negating its advantages over coal.
- Massive US gas pipeline extensions could divert capital away from carbon-free renewables.
- Future generations may hold the World Bank accountable for its climate change mitigation efforts.
- Solar energy build-out is accelerating in East Africa, West Africa, and the Southern Cone, with Morocco planning to ship renewable electricity to Europe and south of the Sahara.
- New battery technologies could allow batteries charged in Africa to be shipped globally.
- Legal accountability for fossil fuel companies is expected to increase, mirroring the tobacco industry's trajectory.
- Young job seekers are increasingly demanding employer alignment with their values regarding social and environmental improvement.
- The transition to clean energy in Africa may accelerate rapidly due to the absence of legacy landline electricity grids, similar to the mobile phone revolution.