Chad Holliday
Toward a Clean Energy Future
Coatings World caught up with former DuPont head Chad Holliday and discussed issues
ranging from corporate environmental responsibility, sustainability, climate change and the
American Energy Innovation Council.
by Tim Wright, Editor
The climate is changing. The earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is hap- pening, and human-induced. Many are agreed that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet.
Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions,
and/or increasing extremities in weather patterns.
At the recent Coatings Summit held in Washington DC from
January 18-19, Chad Holliday, former Chairman and CEO of
DuPont, and current Chairman of the Bank of America, presented “Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Sustainability” during which he discussed how to match and manage
environment, technology and economy issues effectively.
According to Mr. Holliday’s climate change dashboard there
are four key points to understand the climate change issue.
First, science says that climate change is indeed occurring and
is caused by human activities and poses significant risks for,
and in many cases, is already affecting a broad range of human
and natural systems. Second, it is up to humans to limit the
magnitude of future climate change by adopting a mechanism
for setting an economy-wide carbon pricing system. The third
point calls for adapting to the impacts of climate change by
moderating potential damages, taking advantage of opportunities and/or coping with the consequences. Lastly, informing effective decisions around climate change entails making sure
leaders stay informed.
Environmental issues are close to his heart, and I recently had
the chance to talk about them with Mr. Holliday, including his
work with the American Energy Innovation Council, a group of
business leaders that includes Bill Gates, whose task it is to develop viable alternative energy sources.
www.coatingsworld.com
March 2011
