Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world

Past Event
Seminar

Energy Policy Seminar: Andy Hoffman on "Creative or Controlled Destruction: The Fate of the Fossil Fuel Sector in a Climate Changed World"

RSVP Required Open to the Public

Join us for an Energy Policy Seminar featuring Andy Hoffman, the Holcim (US) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan. Dr. Hoffman will speak on "Creative or Controlled Destruction: The Fate of the Fossil Fuel Sector in a Climate Changed World." HKS Professor Henry Lee will moderate the Q&A.

Attendance: This event is open to the public and hosted on Zoom. For those who cannot attend live, the seminar will be recorded and available to watch on this page.

Accessibility: Persons with disabilities who wish to request accommodations or who have questions about access, please contact Liz Hanlon (ehanlon@hks.harvard.edu) in advance of the session.

Registration: Please RSVP at the link below. Registration will remain open until the event begins.

Date: Time: - Location: Online
Andy Hoffman

Summary

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.

Speaker

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.

Recording