Houston Energy & Climate Week: It's time to rodeo

Guest commentary with Katie Mehnert and Juliana Garaizair in the Houston Business Journal, August 23, 2024

Read the full unlocked article at the HBJ website

Much of the country is on pins and needles in anticipation of Election Day this November. But for many of us in this region, November can’t come fast enough. It will be the final month of what’s expected to be an especially difficult hurricane season.

While politics pull much of the country apart, strengthening our protections against extreme weather and climate change should pull us all together. As local business leaders in the energy sector and proud Houstonians, we see how important it is for the city, including all kinds of businesses, to contribute to solutions that reduce environmental impact while reliably meeting escalating energy demands. 

Most of Houston wants to keep Houston as the energy capital of the world by investing in an alternative energy landscape. Nearly three-quarters of Houstonians say the city should prioritize the development of sources like wind, solar, and hydrogen — with young people especially likely to say so, the 2024 Kinder Institute Houston Area Survey found. Similar numbers say corporations and governments should do more to address climate change.

“The pace of innovation is accelerating toward new energy sources and technologies that may shape the energy economy for the next century,” the survey said. Houston “seems poised to embrace these changes.” Across the city, people are “excited about the next two decades and how emerging opportunities may reshape their lives and communities.” As the institute’s co-founder Stephen Klineberg put it, “The story of Houston is that we are there first. By 2050, all of America will look like Houston looks today. This is where the American future is going to be worked out.”

At the same time, Houstonians are wary of rapid, sweeping changes that could endanger energy supplies. People across the country share these concerns, Pew Research notes. To guide the energy transition responsibly, we must listen to all perspectives, review data and discern the best path forward with civility and pragmatism.

Keeping Houston at the forefront of the $6 trillion global energy market will demand unprecedented collaboration, leadership and investment. This means fostering cooperation among those with differing views on the energy future, being unafraid to ask and address hard questions, and investing our time to listen, learn and adapt.

To build a “one team” mentality, we need to convene all the key players who have the experience, resources and focus to drive these efforts forward. Silicon Valley tech founders, Wall Street executives, leaders of energy companies from numerous countries and representatives of all sorts of communities should gather here.

Houston must also show the world how to build the energy workforce of the future — a pipeline of talent and human capital essential for progress. Schools and workforce development organizations must be welcomed in, helping present proven strategies to deliver transformational reskilling and upskilling initiatives.

Join us in September

So it’s time to do what Texas knows how to do best: host a rodeo. Next month, business leaders, government officials, investors, entrepreneurs, educators, activists and experts across all forms of energy will converge to celebrate the first-ever Houston Energy and Climate Week, an inclusive vehicle for unity.

As explained at climateweekhouston.com, the week is a culmination of seven years of collaboration, involving people from all walks of life. From Sept. 9-13, events will include a wide range of activities, engagements and activations. In addition, we’re happy to see other organizations create events, like one focused on climate startups. Let’s get as many people involved in these efforts as possible. After all, that's what a rodeo is all about — giving us lots of reasons to come together.

Houston’s accomplishments in fueling — and changing — the world have been historic. We’re a home of space science, leading developments in medicine, a sports and entertainment powerhouse and so much more. We’re a region of mavericks, innovators, wildcatters and creators. Right now, local startups that provide sustainable aviation, modernized grids with AI, hydrogen power and innovations in carbon capture and storage are showing us all what’s possible in an energy landscape that can propel our growth while minimizing our environmental footprint.

As mothers raising families, we are driven by a deep belief in using all this potential to build a stronger, better, cleaner future for the next generation. We know this can be done, and invite everyone to be a part of it.

As famous Houstonian Beyonce asked in a hit song, “You ready?”