Beyond Politics: The Private Governance Response to Climate Change

Description

Private sector action provides one of the most promising opportunities to reduce the risks of climate change, buying time while governments move slowly or even oppose climate mitigation. Starting with the insight that much of the resistance to climate mitigation is grounded in concern about the role of government, this books draws on law, policy, social science, and climate science to demonstrate how private initiatives are already bypassing government inaction in the US and around the globe. It makes a persuasive case that private governance can reduce global carbon emissions by a billion tons per year over the next decade. Combining an examination of the growth of private climate initiatives over the last decade, a theory of why private actors are motivated to reduce emissions, and a review of viable next steps, this book speaks to scholars, business and advocacy group managers, philanthropists, policymakers, and anyone interested in climate change.

Michael P. Vandenbergh is the David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair of Law, Co-Director of the Energy, Environment and Land Use Program, and Director of the Climate Change Research Network at Vanderbilt University Law School, Tennessee. Jonathan M. Gilligan is Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Associate Director for Research, Vanderbilt Climate Change Research Network at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee.

'The book offers a fresh, collaborative approach to the climate problem.' William D. Ruckelshaus, former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Nixon and Reagan Administrations 'Beyond Politics offers a timely, insightful roadmap for bypassing gridlock on climate change.' Carol M. Browner, former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Clinton Administration, and former Assistant to the President, Obama Administration 'Beyond Politics provides a fresh, much-needed perspective on how the private sector can bypass government gridlock on climate change.' John D. Graham, Dean, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, and former Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrator, George W. Bush Administration 'Industry can help lead the effort to address climate change, and this book provides an important roadmap.' Joe Kaeser, President and Chief Executive Officer, Siemens AG 'Vandenbergh and Gilligan provide an optimistic view of the climate problem, showing how the private sector can bypass government gridlock over the next decade. This book will appeal to scholars, business and advocacy group managers, policymakers, and anyone interested in a new approach to climate change.' Steven Harper, Global Director, Environment and Energy Policy, Intel Corporation 'In Beyond Politics, Professors Vandenbergh and Gilligan powerfully demonstrate how private sector action on climate change has moved from theory to real and promising impact in the marketplace of today. Drawing on law, policy, and social science, their book provides an optimistic roadmap showing how the private sector, leveraging customer-supplier relationships as part of the solution, can bypass government gridlock and reduce carbon emissions by a billion tons annually.' Jackie Roberts, Chief Sustainability Officer, The Carlyle Group 'In a thoughtful and far-ranging new book, Michael P. Vandenbergh and Jonathan M. Gilligan ...explain why firms from Coca-Cola to UPS are motivated to be leaders in cutting emissions. ... Particularly important is the book's attention to firms that have become adept at realigning incentives across the whole supply chain. Walmart is a standout, having achieved 28 million tons of emissions reductions from 2010 to 2015, mainly through making their supply chains and operations smarter and getting their suppliers to line up. Private governance could change the nature of government itself, suggest Vandenbergh and Gilligan. It could also change how society achieves justice and its lines of accountability. Work like this helps reveal what is possible, even without formal governments doing much or all the work. ... Vandenbergh and Gilligan offer a sober and well-grounded reminder that real change depends on much more than formal government.' David G. Victor, Science Magazine