Shell Center for Sustainability Inaugural Conference

(PLEASE NOTE: DAY TWO ACADEMIC WORKSHOPS ARE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC)

Shell Center for Sustainability

INAUGURAL CONFERENCE
Rice University

Shell Oil Foundation Auditorium, Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business

March 12-13, 2003

Hosted by
Environmental and Energy Systems Institute
James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy

REGISTRATION 7:30 AM
Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management Dining Room
(For directions and parking, See "Logistics")

PLENARY OPENING 8:30 AM
Shell Oil Company Foundation Auditorium
Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management Building
(Simulcast to James A. Baker III Hall for overflow attendance)

Welcome
Mr. Christian Holmes
Executive Director, Shell Center for Sustainability

MORNING PLENARY ADDRESSES: GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

Sustainability and Development
Dr. Malcolm Gillis
President, Rice University

Energy and Sustainability
Prudence Pays: Practical Steps to Bridge Conflicting Views on Climate Change
Sir Philip Watts
Chairman of the Committee of Managing Directors, The Royal Dutch/Shell Group

European Perspective
Mr. Guy Hascoet
Former French Minister of State for Social Economy

The Chicago Climate Exchange:
Creating a Market for Greenhouse Gases Emissions Trading
Dr. Richard Sandor
Chairman and CEO, Chicago Climate Exchange

BUFFET LUNCHEON • 11:30 PM -12:45 PM
Southwestern Fare
Rice Memorial Center • Grand Hall

AFTERNOON PLENARY ADDRESSES 1:00-2:00 PM
James A. Baker III Hall
(Overflow Attendance to Shell Oil Company Foundation Auditorium)

1:00 PM-2:00 PM

U.S. Perspective
Dr. Paula Dobriansky
U.S. Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs

Bio-diversity Challenges
Dr. Francisco Dallmeier
Director, Monitoring and Assessment of Biodiversity Program
National Zoological Park Conservation and Research Center
Smithsonian Institut

AFTERNOON PANELS 2:00 PM
Shell Oil Company Foundation Auditorium
Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management

LESSONS LEARNED:
MARKET BASED SOLUTIONS AND PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

2:00 PM
AIR
Moderator, Dr. Matthew Fraser
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Rice University

Mr. Hiroyuki Watanabe
Senior Managing Director, Toyota Motor Corporation
Mr. Hank Habicht
President, Global Environment Technology Foundation
Dr. Kyriocos Zygourakis
Chair, Chemical Engineering Department, Rice University

3:00PM
ENERGY
Moderator, Ms. Amy Myers Jaffe
Wallace Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies - James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
Environmental and Energy Systems Institute - Associate Director for the Rice Energy Program

Mr. Kurt Hoffman
Director, Shell Foundation
Dr. David Victor
Director, Stanford University Program on Energy and Sustainable Development

4:00 PM
WATER
Moderator, Dr. Mark Wiesner
Director, Environmental and Energy Systems Institute
Mr. Jim Blackburn
Chair, Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association
Dr. Alain Dangeard
Chairman and CEO, M.E.E. Development

CLOSING PLENARY ADDRESS 5:00 PM

Bringing It All Together: The Corporate Challenge
Mr. Bjorn Stigson
President, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

DAY TWO WORKSHOPS
James A III Baker Hall
March 13, 2003

Closed Work Group Sessions • By Invitation Only

Simultaneous closed workgroup sessions with 20 participants from the academic, government, corporate and NGO sectors. The objective of the workgroups is to explore lessons learned and to develop recommendations related to the role of technology, public-private partnerships and market-based solutions in improving water and air quality and meeting energy needs in both rural and urban areas. The workgroups will identify areas for future research, education and outreach to be undertaken by the Shell Center for Sustainability.

8:00 AM
James A. Baker III Hall

AIR QUALITY & URBAN SUSTAINABILITY
Chair, Dr. David Allen
Texas Council on Environmental Technology
Co-Chair, Dr.Alberto Mendoza Dominguez
Head of the Air Quality Laboratory, Monterray Technical Institute
Monterray, Mexico

ENERGY
Chair, Dr. Nancy Kete
Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the EMBARQ Center for Transport and the Environment
World Resources Institute
Co-Chair, Dr. Rahul Tongia
Carnegie Mellon University

WATER
Chair, Dr. Mark Wiesner
Director, Environment and Energy Systems Institute
Rice University
Co-Chair, Dr. Alain Dangeard
Chairman and CEO, M.E.E. Development

Finding solutions to some of the world's most intractable problems - such as deforestation, global warming, water resources, poverty and fossil fuel dependence - were topics of discussions at the inaugural conference of Rice's new Shell Center for Sustainability. Rather than viewing these problems in isolation, scholars and practitioners of sustainabliity from the private and public sectors have increasingly adopted a holistic approach, looking at the complex interplay of social, economic and environmental factors. Their goal is sustainable development, a path that will allow human civiliazation to flourish in the coming century in spite of rapid population growth.

Over 550 registrants attended the conference, representing 13 countries, 12 states and 23 Texas cities. Attendess came from over 100 companies, organizations and institutions, and included Houston philanthropist George Mitchell, a longtime champion of sustainability studies, who recently established the George and Cynthia Mitchell Chair in Sustainable Development as part of the Shell Center. The conference was sponsored by the Environmental and Energy Systems Institute and the James A. Baker II Institute for Public Policy, with additional support from the French Embassy.

"Sustainable development is all about trying to bring about green growth, which benefits both the natural environment and the humans who depend upon it for clean air, water, healthy foods and so much more," said Rice President Malcolm Gillis in the conference's opening address. He added that Rice is ideally suited to help map out paths for sustainabile development because of its established base of interdiciplinary and interinstitutional collaborations - the kinds of cross-disciplinary partnerships that are needed to tackle sustainability issues. He particularly stressed the need to make better use both of market mechanisms and traditional regulatory tools that have been misued in the past.

Gillis spearheaded the development of the Shell Center along with Royal Ductch-Shell Chairman Sir Philip Watts, who also addressed the conference. Watt's remarks focused on climate change and on Shell's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and finding long-term alternatives to fossil fuels. "There is great uncertainty about this," he commented. "But taking action now will enable us to respond better whichever way our understainding develops. We can't afford not to take action." He said one of the persistent myths of sustainable development is that business is the problem. In realsity, business must be part of the solution.

Gilllis and Watts headlined a list of speakers that included U.S. Under Secretary of State for Global Affiars Paula Dobriansky, former French Minister of State for Social Economy Guy Hascoet, and Toyota Motor Corporation Senior Managing Director Hiroyuki Watanabe.

Shell Center Executive Director Christian Holmes said one of the primary goals of the new research center is to develop established methods, or best practices, that industry can follow in order to foster sustainability. The center will address such challenges as the improvement of air quality, sustainable development of major urban areas, the development of new sources of energy, and the provision and treatment of water. In do doing, Holmes hopes the center will enable Rice students to perceive sustainability as a value and a tool which can assist them throughout their careers in making decisions that benefit the environment, society and the economy.