Responsible Profit: Climate Change and the Green Economy

Responsible Profit: Climate Change and the Green Economy, our third Workshop for Ethics in Business, was held in New York City on November 2, 2007. This joint Carnegie Council–RSA meeting of business and civil society leaders was co-sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton’s strategy+business magazine.

Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of RSA, opened the discussion by addressing what he called the “social aspiration gap.” Society, he said, will not reach future objectives for reducing the impact of climate change without making significant shifts in the way we think and behave.

Taylor believes that the private sector is starting to step up to the plate. Businesses understand risks and therefore realize the threat climate change poses to sustainable endeavors. They also know that profit and sustainability can go hand-in-hand, and since they work globally they are already familiar with the shrinking world. Nonetheless, Taylor acknowledged several challenges that must be overcome. Richer countries will need to put national interest aside in favor of the greater global interest, and this will require coordinated action.

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