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By Elaine Hsieh, Program Director & Senior Analyst – VERGE
Turns out the cost of fighting climate change will increase 40 percent for every decade of inaction.
That’s one of the eye-opening findings from a new White House report released yesterday, serving as an important reminder that action is essential, but so are scale, speed and scope.
We have taken this to heart at VERGE this year and are committed to disrupting the typical conference model, focusing on accelerating systemic solutions by enabling action instead of just talking about challenges.
For example, we’re hosting City Summit in partnership with C40 and the Urban Sustainability Director’s Network on October 27, the first day of VERGE SF, convening a select group of city and corporate leaders to focus on what it takes to achieve ambitious carbon reduction goals set by many cities. The intent of this daylong workshop is to figure out how the two sectors can work together to scale up solutions to achieve cities’ sustainability and resilience goals in a way that is both enduring and economical.
That same day, we’re also hosting eLab Ignite in partnership with Rocky Mountain Institute’s Electricity Innovation Lab (eLab) team. It’s a roll-up-your-sleeves workshop with corporate customers, utilities, regulators and policymakers, technology providers and energy experts working together to create mutually beneficial models to accelerate cleaner, smarter solutions at the electricity system’s distribution edge.
These are just a couple of VERGE SF sessions that will be powerful opportunities to catalyze the potential for real transformation. Check out more examples of transformative solutions in the stories below.
And speaking of taking action, a couple reminders: Our deeply discounted Summer Rate for VERGE SF expires tomorrow, so be sure to register soon. Also, the deadline for submitting your VERGE Accelerate nomination is this Friday, so if you’re a promising entrepreneur with an innovative startup, don’t forget to apply this week. |
