I love your action-focused thinking. I wasn’t aware of the Earth OS branch of Edgeryders or the Climate-KIC partnership, which I think is absolutely brilliant.
Regarding Irish carbon pricing, we are reaching the end of a two-year process that began in a national Citizen’s Assembly and moved to a cross-party parliamentary committee. Last march that committee agreed on an ambitious programme of climate action - with the exception of carbon tax. There is a meeting of that committee next week in a final attempt at consensus on carbon tax. Whatever happens at the meeting the process will then go behind the closed doors of the Department of Finance, with the details being announced in the national budget at the end of October. As it stands, the governing party, the Greens and a few others are supporting the return of revenue as some sort of dividend, with serious opposition from one major party and vague, “see which way the wind blows” opposition from another. Through my vehicle/role as ‘National Coordinator’ of Citizens’ Climate Lobby Ireland I’ve met with all the main political parties, spoken in an information briefing at the Irish parliament, engaged with the environmental NGOs, media and other actors and stakeholders, and tweeted (@CCLIreland), written and talked. Now we’ll see.
Canada has already implemented a carbon dividend, so Ireland would be second (although Canada would lose it’s carbon pricing if the Conservatives win an October election). Carbon pricing has to rise into the €’00’s over the next decade, and IMHO (and that of many, many others) the only politically possible way to do this is by returning revenue and thus ensuring that a voting majority financially gain. Ireland is vitally important in this effort because if we can get a clear, clean, unambiguous example of a politically acceptable price on carbon here it would be a model for the EU and beyond - and especially France, where there is growing movement in this direction. The core idea is that if people are getting real net cash in their pockets from carbon pricing, then they’ll vote for more of it.
In regard to potential projects, I am open to talking to and working with anybody as long as the goal is action towards paid work on carbon and climate. I have both a deep and current knowledge and a coherent overall perspective of the climate/money/politics space (i.e., policy transition risk), and I’m a fast, evidence-focused and auto didactic learner. Previous projects involved everything from offsets to F-gases, but the place I would like to be is teaching asset and risk managers and corporate executives about climate, carbon, and the risks (and opportunities) of climate change and the carbon transition. Basically I want to help them think about climate and carbon.
That’s the passion. The practice is initially offering 1/2 to 2-day training/education courses and consulting on carbon and climate. Topics include climate change, the International policy response, carbon pricing, etc. (see http://carbontide.com/modules.pdf). And maybe consulting help with TCFD and related disclosure and with scenario analysis. Future avenues of growth include expanding the topics covered by involving expertise to cover all areas of climate risk (physical as well as transition - and perhaps other environmental areas), and publishing high-end and expensive reports and newsletters. My evidence-based belief and prediction is that this area is going to grow explosively in the years ahead, as the reality of our climate situation sinks in and as governments, regulators and customers act accordingly. However adequate that movement is, my contention is that it will move markets and dramatically alter asset values across sectors.
Although I’ve had a few carbon-related contracts I’m just beginning to market the courses. After a few years focused on non-paying politics I’m hungry for money, and this business aligns that hunger with my passion for climate and emissions reduction. I have previous start-up and investor experience (failed, but educational) and substantial small business experience, so this is not my first rodeo. Apart from my specialist knowledge (and network) I have substantial experience in education and training across several domains. Skills where I’m weak are sales and administration, and important experience that I’m lacking is direct experience inside the financial sector.
I’m looking for contracts, looking for work, and looking for jobs, and I’d be delighted to talk to anybody along those lines or, indeed, to explore any other opportunities. If any more specific ideas occur to me I’ll post them.
Best wishes,
Graham
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Graham Caswell
Carbon Tide
Context for the Carbon Transition
www.CarbonTide.com
+353-(0)85-1656675