Notes From The Clinton Global Initiative Discussion On Innovation

Former Vice President Al Gore Wednesday cited the absence of political will as a significant roadblock to fighting climate change, noting that while business leaders and citizens are willing to confront the issue, politicians are not.

“We do not have that much time,” Gore said during a discussion held by the Clinton Global Initiative on innovation. “We have to put a price on carbon directly or indirectly.”

Gore, who has attended thirty summits since penning “An Inconvenient Truth,” explained that Americans are currently releasing ninety million tons of carbon into atmosphere without acknowledging the impact.

The Vice President touched upon the upcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen, stating that it was very important for the U.S. to secure a deal, even if it isn’t initially perfect.

Securing this deal will be the responsibility of President Barack Obama, who Gore contends needs to aggressively urge the Senate to unite behind combatting climate change.

Gore warned that if unchecked, climate change will present a growing threat, claiming that food production can be slashed by half in some African countries coupled with decreased soil fertility.

In closing, Gore called upon the international community to embrace sustainable capitalism.

The Vice President was joined by a number of leading environmental experts.

Muhammad Yunus, Founder of the Grameen Bank, stressed the importance of spreading businesses that work for a concrete social objective. Yunus mentioned that there is already some progress being made by food companies, but suggested that social businesses should tackle medical problems plaguing countries like the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

Jack Ma of the Alibaba Group discussed innovation in China. According to Ma, the future of Chinese industry lies in privately owned countries, such as the smaller “garage companies” started by his organization. 

 The Rockefeller Foundation’s Judith Rodin explained how innovation on a global level is becoming easier to track. According to Rodin, innovation has as systematic set of processes. Some of these processes such as user innovation and crowd thinking can be applied to social situations. Rodin also suggested collaborative competitions where competitors post their solution.

Rodin called for a business environment where companies can take risks and even fail. She also noted that the foundation is slated to launch an impact-investing network.