EESI Chair Emeritus Calls for New Approach to Climate Change as Business Risk

Richard Ottinger, EESI Board Chair Emeritus, proposes that the United States treat climate change mitigation as a form of risk management or an insurance policy to protect against the catastrophic outcomes predicted by 95 percent of climate scientists.

• Richard Ottinger suggests that climate action be framed as an insurance policy to protect the world and the United States against the risk that the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming is correct.
• The author argues that failing to act on climate change could exacerbate global refugee crises, as rising sea levels would force people to flee low-lying coastal areas, potentially contradicting goals to limit immigration into the United States.
• The U.S. military considers the risks associated with climate change to be a significant threat to national security.
• Ottinger asserts that the financial costs of failing to take action on climate change will far exceed the costs of mitigation, and that transitioning to renewable energy and energy efficiency is currently cost-effective.
• Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions is described as having the dual benefit of reducing deadly air, water, and land pollution, which would lead to lower medical expenses and fewer early deaths.

APA

Ottinger, R. (2017). EESI Chair Emeritus Calls for New Approach to Climate Change as Business Risk. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/eesi-chair-emeritus-calls-for-new-approach-to-climate-change-as-business-ri

Chicago

Ottinger, Richard. EESI Chair Emeritus Calls for New Approach to Climate Change as Business Risk. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2017. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/eesi-chair-emeritus-calls-for-new-approach-to-climate-change-as-business-ri.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Ottinger |first1=Richard |title=EESI Chair Emeritus Calls for New Approach to Climate Change as Business Risk |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=4 January 2017 |url=https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/eesi-chair-emeritus-calls-for-new-approach-to-climate-change-as-business-ri |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{ottinger2017eesi, author = {Ottinger, Richard}, title = {{EESI Chair Emeritus Calls for New Approach to Climate Change as Business Risk}}, publisher = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2017}, month = jan, url = {https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/eesi-chair-emeritus-calls-for-new-approach-to-climate-change-as-business-ri}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }