Business Roundtable Launches Climate-Change Actions

The Business Roundtable (BRT), a Washington-based association of CEOs of the nation's largest companies, announced July 21 two initiatives to "jump start" business-government cooperation in developing technologies to combat global climate change. In the first initiative, the BRT says it will work with government "to identify and eliminate regulatory, trade, informational, infrastructure, and other obstacles to rapid technological innovation, commercialization, and dissemination." BRT will prepare a report of its findings and offer specific recommendations. In the second initiative, BRT will seek partners from government, national laboratories and other research institutions, and universities in hosting a summit on steps needed to speed technology transfer in the 21st century. Announcement of the two initiatives was accompanied by release of a new BRT report, The Role of Technology in Responding to Concerns About Climate Change. "Fostering and accelerating the development and commercialization of new and breakthrough technologies is the most effective response to address concerns about climate change, even though it is clear that there will be considerable time before we understand the range of potential impacts from greenhouse gases," says Robert N. Burt, chairman of BRT's environmental task force, in releasing the report. Burt also is chairman and CEO of FMC Corp.