Climate Week at Columbia Business School

Join the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change at Columbia Business School for a conversation with Tim Latimer, co-founder and CEO of Fervo Energy, a leader in next-generation geothermal energy. In conversation with Professor Bruce Usher, Latimer will share perspectives from the frontlines of building and scaling new energy technologies and discuss the role of geothermal in meeting growing energy demand, accelerating the clean energy transition, and reshaping the future of the global energy system.

Part of the Distinguished Speaker Series, this event is co-presented by the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change and Columbia Climate School.

Speakers: 

• Tim Latimer, Co-founder and CEO of Fervo Energy
• Bruce Usher (moderator), Professor of Professional Practice; Co-director of the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change; and Elizabeth B. Strickler '86 and Mark T. Gallogly '86 Faculty Director at Columbia Business School

Electricity meets barely a fifth of the world's final energy demand today. Yet electrification is the fastest lever governments have to cut emissions, insulate households from the next fossil fuel price shock, and maintain energy security. Getting there means moving vehicles, buildings, and industry onto electrons and modernizing and expanding the power grid faster than any economy has yet managed. 

With over 100 companies, the EU, UN, and more, likely to commit to electrify 35 percent of final energy demand by 2035, this event will ask what it takes to electrify the economy within the next decade. The countries that pull it off first won't just hit a target, they'll write the playbook everyone else has to follow.

This event is co-presented by the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change and Climate Knowledge Initiative (CKI) at Columbia Business School, and Centre for Net Zero.

Speakers: 

• Devrim Celal, Chief Flexibility and Marketing Officer at Kraken Technologies
• Robert Metcalfe, Chief Economist at Centre for Net Zero (part of the Octopus Energy Group) and Professor at Columbia SIPA
• Gernot Wagner (moderator), Climate Economist and Faculty Director of the Climate Knowledge Initiative at Columbia Business School

Join us for a panel discussion with investors from across the climate venture capital landscape. Panelists will share perspectives on how climate investors evaluate emerging technologies and companies, the opportunities and challenges shaping various sectors within climate, and what it takes to build a career in climate investing. The conversation will also explore their own career paths and offer practical insights for students interested in breaking into climate venture capital.

This event is co-presented by the Green Business Club and Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change at Columbia Business School.

Speakers: 

• Mary King, SVP at Aligned Climate Capital
• Lee Larson, Principal at Piva Capital
• Dylan Small, Senior Associate at EIP
• Bruce Usher (moderator), Professor of Professional Practice; Co-director of the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change; and Elizabeth B. Strickler '86 and Mark T. Gallogly '86 Faculty Director at Columbia Business School

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation on the future of sustainability and retail. Speakers will share perspectives on how leading apparel brands are responding to evolving expectations around sustainability, from product design and sourcing to operations and consumer engagement. Moderated by Professor Silvia Bellezza of Columbia Business School, the conversation will explore the opportunities and challenges of embracing sustainability in retail while balancing consumer demand, business performance, and environmental impact.

This event is co-presented by the Green Business Club, Sustainable Operations Initiative, and Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change at Columbia Business School.

Speakers: 

• Matt Dwyer, Vice President of Global Product Footprint at Patagonia
• Renee Hackenmiller-Paradis, Senior Director, Sustainable Product & Packaging and Chemical Management at Lululemon
• Silvia Bellezza (moderator), David W. Zalaznick Associate Professor of Business Marketing Division at Columbia Business School

Building the next generation of renewable energy infrastructure will take trillions in financing. Join us for a timely fireside chat on where this capital will come from. Vikas Anand, CEO of Origis Energy, will bring the perspective of the people building these assets, and John Pugh, CRO of Apterra (Apollo's infrastructure credit platform), will bring the perspective of the people financing them. They'll discuss the capital required to build and scale critical energy projects, the evolving role of debt and other financing sources, and the opportunities and challenges of investing in energy infrastructure in a fast-changing landscape. Moderated by William Bond, who teaches Financing Energy Infrastructure at Columbia Business School.

This event is co-presented by the Green Business Club and Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change at Columbia Business School.

Speakers: 

• Vikas Anand ’08, CEO of Origis Energy
• John Pugh ’00, Chief Risk Officer at Apterra Infrastructure Capital
• William Bond (moderator), Adjunct Assistant Professor of Business at Columbia Business School

Almost 90 percent of LNG and 80 percent of oil transiting through the Strait of Hormuz is bound for Asia. When fossil fuels stall in chokepoints and politically volatile regions, the consequences reverberate almost instantly through global commodity markets.  

Changing global material flows is integral to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors. In the context of geopolitical volatility, the case has never been stronger to leverage opportunities in regions with competitive advantages in clean energy and critical materials for deep decarbonization. 

This event is co-presented by the Climate Knowledge Initiative (CKI) and Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change at Columbia Business School.

Speakers: 

• Saul Griffith, Founder and Chief Scientist at Rewiring America and Rewiring Australia
• Amy Myers Jaffe, Director, Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab, and Research Professor at NYU
• Gernot Wagner (moderator), Climate Economist and Faculty Director of the Climate Knowledge Initiative at Columbia Business School