Climate Change Solutions from The Unlikeliest of Places

Last Thursday night, I had the pleasure of introducing Mr. Aaron Fyke, a highly qualified expert who delivered an impassioned presentation on the evolution of climate change as well as the potential future solutions to combat the rising tides and temperatures that pose an incredibly dangerous threat to our planet. Mr. Fyke is an environmentally-focused investor whose venture capital firm is devoted to promoting sustainable technologies, and the majority of his talk was focused on addressing ways in which renewable energy sources can be harnessed to replace fossil fuels. Personally, the most interesting aspect of Mr. Fyke's presentation was not the sources of renewable energy or the scope of the problem that we are currently facing; instead, the driving force behind the implementation of renewable energy was what caught my interest. Mr. Fyke contended that contrary to popular belief, the cost of renewable energy will be the single greatest reason for––rather than against––its spread on a global scale. He demonstrated that it was possible to achieve cost parity between renewable energy sources such as wind by 2020. As a result, the economic factors that have inhibited people from supporting renewable energy sources will soon shift in favor of them, and people will begin to embrace renewable energy en masse as a cost-saving measure. Ultimately, this means that regardless of whether or not people feel devoted to "saving the environment," our energy consumption will begin to shift towards renewables that are far more sustainable for our future. I was shocked to learn that the economy could actually be a reason for the adoption of renewable energy. In a time when many are quick to deride the rise of free-market capitalism and industrialization as the root cause of climate change, it was fascinating to see a lens through which the free-market economy could actually help to turn the tide against unsustainable industries. Overall, I was both honored to be able to host the event and surprised to discover the ways in which economic drivers could motivate sustainability. While I don't know if the economy will actually be able to correct its own mistakes without some form of outside intervention, I thought that the talk provided an oft-ignored perspective on climate change. Although we may be forced to pay penance for our ancestors' actions into perpetuity as we attempt to dismantle the causes of climate change, I believe that we will be able to create a sustainable future by embracing the environment (and the economy).