The overarching question imparting urgency to this exploration is: Can U.S.-Russian contention in cyberspace cause the two nuclear superpowers to stumble into war? In considering this question we were constantly reminded of recent comments by a prominent U.S. arms control expert: At least as dangerous as the risk of an actual cyberattack, he observed, is cyber operations’ “blurring of the line between peace and war.” Or, as Nye wrote, “in the cyber realm, the difference between a weapon and a non-weapon may come down to a single line of code, or simply the intent of a computer program’s user.”
What is the role of the fossil fuel sector in a world in which we are trying to address climate change? Efforts to steer the economy through tools like a carbon price hope to shift the market away from greenhouse gas producing industries, triggering what Joseph Schumpeter called “creative destruction.” But does the end of the fossil fuel sector have to be hastened (or “controlled”) given the time span of the market shift compared to the pace of climate change? Can we think of an industry bringing about its own demise? What is an explanatory metaphor, model and precedent for such a process? And what are the systemic complications for considering such a question? This session is meant to provoke a discussion on a very real dilemma that we face as a society and an economy.
Andy Hoffman is the Holcim (US) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan, a position that holds joint appointments in the Stephen M. Ross School of Business and the School for Environment and Sustainability. Dr. Hoffman is a leader in using organizational, network and strategic analyses to assess the implications of environmental issues for business, and has published 18 books and over 100 articles and book chapters on the topic. Prior to academics, he worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region 1), Metcalf & Eddy Environmental Consultants, T&T Construction & Design, and the Amoco Corporation.