The panel, which includes 54 fellows of the Switzer Foundation, an environmental non-profit, participated in a survey titled, "What the Scientists Know: How Business Leadership can Help Solve Climate Change." The survey was inspired by members of the Committee of 200, a group of women business leaders.
"The survey is designed to spark a dialogue between scientists and business leaders," said Jessica Switzer, Partner of Blue Practice Inc., which performed the survey. "We hoped to give a voice to leading U.S. scientists' concerns and create something useful that business leaders can use to develop solutions to a very large problem facing our world economy and social situation. We couldn't have a better audience to preview this than the Committee of 200."
"We often hear Switzer Fellows express their concern that 'all the science in the world won't change a thing' unless business leaders and policy-makers step forward and act on the available data," said Lissa Widoff, Executive Director of the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation. "With 400+ Fellows in the areas of academia, government, private industry and NGO -- and more than 50 actively studying the effects of climate change -- our Fellows are on the front lines of study and there is much to be learned from them."
To best leverage a CEOs leadership, the scientists top rankings included:
- Improving energy efficiency of existing operations
- Improving manufacturing and distribution
- Converting to clean and renewable energy
- Engaging in climate change policy discussions
- Hiring or empowering an environmental officer
Suggestions to reduce energy consumptions included: video conferencing instead of airline travel and re-evaluating product life-cycles and other supply chain issues.
Many encouraged companies to set goals and look at how companies can create immediate and comprehensive reduction and efficiency actions.