Call to Action for Prosperity and Competitiveness in a Low-Carbon World

Good morning and welcome back to the National Energy Summit & International Dialogue. Today's program focuses on the international community, and the need to enhance global energy security and sustainability. After some introductory remarks from Council on Competitiveness Chairman Charles Holliday, Council on Competitiveness President Deborah Wince-Smith, and Council Vice Chair and President of Rensslaer Polytechnic Institute Shirley Ann Jackson, we're presenting a Call to Action to explain why and how we need to create sustainable energy solutions.

On the presenting panel:

• Dr. David M. Abshire — President, Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress
• Raphael Diamond — President and CEO, Securing America’s Future Energy
• Charles O. Holliday, Jr. — Chairman, DuPont; Chairman, Council on Competitiveness
• Hon. Shirley Ann Jackson, PhD — University Vice Chair and Co-Chair, Energy Security, Innovation & Sustainability Initiative, Council on Competitiveness; President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Hon. Alexander "Andy" Karsner — Member, Board of Directors, Applied Materials, Inc.
• Jonathan Lash — President, World Resources Institute
• James H. Quigley — CEO, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
• Björn Stigson — President, World Business Council for Sustainable Development
• Strobe Talbott — President, The Brookings Institution
• Hon. Deborah L. Wince-Smith — President, Council on Competitiveness
• Hon. Timothy E. Wirth — President, United Nations Foundation

A statement on the Call to Action:

Björn Stigson: By 2050, 85% of the world is going to live in developing countries, many in cities. We're going to need enormous economic growth to support this -- we're going to need to build infrastructure as we never have before. Inevitably, resources and carbon will be constrained -- we'll need new technology and solutions. Business is tha main provider of these solutions, today and tomorrow. This is a transformation of society. We'll also be looking at the impact of lifestyles and consumption patterns -- there will be winners and losers, which is why this is so difficult. No one can be outside this process -- we need open and competitive markets. We need the right price signals for things like carbon, and unprecedented leadership.

Coming up: Minister's Roundtable with international political leaders.

— Sarah Spooner

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