My favorite read in the last couple years by far is a book called Speed & Scale. We know there’s been a massive mobilization of capital, talent and attention to address climate change, but how do we know if it’ll be enough?
Speed & Scale offers a clear, sector by sector, action plan and online tracker of what we need to do to cut emissions in half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. It’s incredibly well researched, packed with data and inspiration, and it uses the tried and tested system of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to create clear goals that add up to a comprehensive plan.
Some quick context for you:
OKRs became a popular management system after venture capital investor John Doerr introduced them to Google in 1999. John wrote about OKRs in his book Measure What Matters. He’s long been a leading climate investor and donor, and recently gave $1.1 billion dollars to found Stanford’s new School of Sustainability.
Bringing the OKR framework to create a global action plan for climate was an ambitious and much needed effort that can help inform climate action.
For today’s episode, I spoke with Ryan Panchadsaram and Anjali Grover. Ryan is a special advisor to John Doerr, and is the co-author of Speed & Scale. Anjali is Partner and Managing Director of Speed & Scale, overseeing the ongoing initiative to accelerate and track progress against the OKRs. We cover a lot of ground – from high level to nitty gritty, from code red OKRs where progress isn’t being made to real reasons for optimism, and of course, also, what this all means for everyday people who care about climate change. Enjoy.
In today’s episode, we cover:
- [5:01] What is Speed & Scale and how it came about
- [7:36] The key objectives covered in Speed & Scale
- [11:51] Objective example: electrifying transportation
- [15:14] Speed & Scale's tracker tool and the current status on climate
- [19:55] The state of large scale investments - what else is needed
- [24:35] Reasons for hope
- [27:25] Lessons and insights from being in the investor space
- [31:25] How close can we get to accomplishing the 10 OKRs
- [35:39] How did the Inflation Reduction Act shift what needs to get done
- [39:44] The most important thing people can do right now
Resources Mentioned
Connect with Ryan Panchadsaram and Anjali Grover
Connect With Jason Rissman
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