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

Richard Ottinger proposes that the U.S. government, specifically under the Trump administration, adopt a business-oriented 'insurance' approach to climate change. He argues that because the potential costs of failure—including mass displacement, food insecurity, and national security threats—far outweigh the costs of mitigation, taking action is a prudent risk management strategy. Ottinger highlights that transitioning to cheap renewable energy and energy efficiency would provide additional health and economic benefits.

• The author proposes framing climate action as an insurance policy to protect the U.S. and the world against the risk that the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming is correct.
• Failure to mitigate climate change could lead to severe global consequences, including the displacement of millions due to rising sea levels, agricultural disruption causing starvation, the spread of tropical diseases, and increased frequency of extreme weather events.
• The U.S. military considers the risks associated with climate change to be a significant threat to national security.
• The financial costs of failing to act on climate change are significantly higher than the costs of mitigation, and transitioning to renewable energy and energy efficiency is currently cost-effective.

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} }