About this item
A call for the Left and Right -- the business community and environmentalists, bankers and activists -- to join together, reclaim capitalism, and force profits to align with the planet A warming climate and a general distrust of Wall Street has opened a new cultural divide among those who otherwise agree we must mitigate climate risk: anti-market critics such as Naomi Klein target capitalism itself as a root cause of climate change while climate-savvy business leaders believe we can largely continue with business as usual by tinkering around the edges of our economic system. Rand argues that both sides in this emerging cultural war are ill-equipped to provide solutions to the climate crisis, and each is remarkably nave in their view of capitalism. On one hand, we cannot possibly transition off fossil fuels without the financial might and entrepreneurial talent market forces alone can unlock. On the other, without radical changes to the way markets operate, capitalism will take us right off the climate cliff. Rejecting the old Left/Right ideologies, Rand develops a more pragmatic view capable of delivering practical solutions to this critical problem. A renewed capitalism harnessed to the task is the only way we might replace fossil fuels fast enough to mitigate severe climate risk. If we leave our dogma at the door, Rand argues, we might just build an economy that survives the century.
About the Author
I started my career as a software renegade in high school. Then I went legit, and founded Voice Courier Inc (VCi) in 1991 to service the emerging Interactive Voice Response market. I led its expansion to over 100 employees in three countries, with revenue in excess of $20 million US annually. The VCi Group of Companies was profitable for each of the 12 years it was under my control, and was sold in the spring, 2005.I now focus my efforts on carbon mitigation and am active in Cleantech venture capital, technology incubation and commercialization and public advocacy. I'm currently the Cleantech Practice, Lead Advisor at the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto, Canada.I recently completed a book entitled Kick the Fossil Fuel Habit - 10 Clean Technologies to Save Our World, distributed by Greenleaf Book Group in the US, Fitzhenry & Whiteside in Canada, and Gazelle Book Services in the UK and Europe.I hold a BSc in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo, a MSc in philosophy of science from the University of London / London School of Economics and an MA and PhD in philosophy from the University of Toronto. I am an Action Canada Fellow and frequently speak to audiences throughout the US and Canada.I'm really just a guy trying to slow our gallop toward an over-heated climate. Doing what I can with what I've got.
