Stanford is opening a new climate change and sustainability school thanks to John and Ann Doerr

This post was originally published on this site

On Wednesday, John Doerr announced that he and his wife Ann gave $1.1 billion to Stanford University to establish its first new school in 70 years: The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Doerr, a venture capitalist whose most recent book focuses on addressing the climate crisis, has been investing in sustainable technologies since 2006 and believes that the next generation is eager to address one of the most pressing issues to face humanity. “This is what the young people want to work on with their lives, for all the right reasons,” Doerr told The New York Times. Aside from its proximity within Silicon Valley, Doerr has plenty of good reasons to choose Stanford as the university he’s placing a big bet on: The school recently transitioned to 100% renewable energy and has supported a series of promising studies on sustainable technologies.

According to the Times, the school will include academic departments focused on planetary science, energy technology, and resource security, along with interdisciplinary institutes and a policy and technology solutions development center, which somewhat goes hand-in-hand with Doerr’s guide to reaching net-zero by 2050. Doerr’s “Speed and Scale” includes conversations with other billionaires seemingly invested in the climate crisis, including Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, though some of the world’s richest people barely invest in climate change compared with their overall worth. They also are some of the biggest individual culprits driving climate change. Their emissions, of course, are nothing compared with major fossil fuel companies, but it’s kind of frustrating that the rich talk a big game but do little to actually move the needle on reaching net-zero when the clock is ticking and they’re only getting richer.

Inside Philanthropy founder David Callahan seems to echo my fears, telling The New York Times that it’s difficult to imagine one of the most selective, costly schools in the country establishing a climate and sustainability program isn’t exactly doing a whole lot for the common good, unless you’re only concerned with those privileged enough to attend. “I don’t see how giving a billion dollars to a rich university is going to move the needle on this issue in a near-term time frame,” Callahan told the paper. “It’s nice that he’s parting with his money, but that billion dollars could be better spent trying to move this up on the scale of public opinion. Until the public sees this as a top-tier issue, politicians are not going to act.”

In terms of solutions, Doerr’s own book argues that the top way to “accelerate the transition” is to “win politics and policy.” “Speed and Scale” presents nine policies in hopes that the top five global emitters—China, the U.S., the E.U., the U.K., and India—adhere to them, with net-zero commitments at the top of the list. Doerr does offer some good suggestions on how to appeal to the decision-makers who may make a difference in reducing emissions, such as holding regional utilities more accountable and building voting coalitions, but throwing money at Stanford can only do so much. In Doerr’s own words, “no tool is more powerful or accessible than civic involvement at the local level.” Were he to practice what he preached and instead offer support for on-the-ground organizers and groups, he’d likely see a far higher return on investment in communities that are the most severely impacted by climate change.