What does it take to move the needle on our energy and climate challenges? How can government, civil society, individuals, and businesses work together so our collective action is greater than the sum of individual contributions? To help shed light on these and other issues, Jason Bordoff recently sat down with Andy Karsner, a Managing Partner at Emerson Collective, an organization focused on spurring change and promoting equality.
Jason and Andy discussed Emerson Collective’s theory of change, how the organization measures impact, and how those factors lead to a holistic engagement strategy across technology, policy, finance and network building. Their conversation touched on the benefits and the limits of markets as a source of solutions to our climate challenges and the need to transition from static to dynamic policy structures. They also discussed the changing role of utilities and electricity market regulation as well as the privacy and security considerations of internet-enabled clean technology and distributed generation. Finally, Jason and Andy talked about the need for leadership and national strategies and stretch-goals to achieve ambitious outcomes and maintain US competitiveness.
In addition to his role at the Emerson Collective, Andy is a Senior Strategist and Space Cowboy at Google X, and Founder and Executive Chairman of Manifest Energy. From 2005 to 2008, he served as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the US Department of Energy, managing an annual budget of nearly $2 billion across a portfolio focused on applied science, research and development.
