BUSINESS LEADERS DISCUSS CLIMATE, AGRICULTURE & ECONOMY

Photo: bobrayner/Creative Commons

When President Obama announced his latest push for action on climate change, we reached out to NC business leaders for their reactions. Eric Henry of TS Designs and Charles Sydnor of Braeburn Farms were among those who called for a more concerted push to move beyond fossil fuels.

Both Henry and Sydnor will be taking part in a roundtable discussion on business and climate change today, looking at the very real economic, environmental and social impact that manmade climate change is having on businesses and communities reliant on agriculture. TS Designs, for example, has been forced to switch from NC-grown organic and conventional cotton growers to suppliers in Texas, who themselves are under severe pressure from climate change related droughts.

In a press release prior to the event, Henry voiced his frustration at inaction on the State level:

“There are elected officials in North Carolina that either are skeptical or outright reject that climate change is real. But as a business owner, its effects are plain to see. We now have no choice but to turn to the federal government for action to combat our losses from climate change.”

Other speakers at the event include Lyle Estill, founder of Piedmont Biofuels; Scott Marlow, Executive Director of the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA; Clay and Nancy Joyner, owners of Redbud Farm; and NC State Rep. Pricey Harrison NCGA. The event is being organized in partnership with the American Sustainable Business Council.