Mar 22: Climate talk by Bob Inglis at Ptt

Can Free Enterprise Solve Climate Change?

Subsidies and regulations have historically been used to address climate change, but have had limited success.  Free enterprise, however, may offer a lasting solution.  Join us as Bob Inglis, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and now the executive director of RepublicEn.org, illustrates how American leadership and a level playing field could allow free enterprise to innovate a solution to climate change.

4 p.m. in Ballroom A of the University Club (123 University Place in Oakland).  Free and open to the public, but space is limited -- please sign up in advance.  More information and online registration are here.  There's also a Facebook event, in case you'd like to connect with friends for carpooling or the like.  

Bob Inglis of South Carolina lost his Congressional seat in 2010 to a member of his own party after twelve years of nonconsecutive service and two election victories, the second with 74% of the vote. At that time, Inglis was a steadfast denier of anthropogenic climate change and was strongly supported by the conservative base of his party. However, Inglis came to realize that he could no longer ignore the scientific consensus on climate change. Encouraged by the strong support of his family and despite the obvious risks to his political career, he declared his conversion to climate change action on a radio show in 2010. Largely on that basis he was roundly defeated for reelection by a Tea Party candidate later that year. Since then Inglis has served his new mission well. In 2012 he founded the Energy and Enterprise Initiative at George Mason University to promote free enterprise solutions to energy and climate challenges, and he founded “RepublicEN,” an organization of talent to educate the political right on conservative responsibilities and solutions for energy and climate issues. In 2015, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation awarded Inglis the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his valorous stand for the public interest that cost him his Congressional career.

Inglis holds a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a law degree from the University of Virginia.  He is renowned throughout the country for his eloquent voice and leadership in mobilizing conservative principles and solutions for tackling climate change challenges effectively.