Tom Steyer ‘75 Speaks About Climate Solutions at Morning Assembly
By SHAY KASHIF, JINMIN LEE, ISLA WIEGAND-HAMMOND, KYROS WU, and FORREST ZENG
On Oct. 15, author, businessman, and alumnus Tom Steyer ‘75 delivered an assembly speech discussing the importance of improving green energy before opening the floor for audience questions. His book was available for students to pick up for free, and he signed copies after the assembly.
Steyer is the co-executive chair and founder of Galvanize Climate Solutions, a global investment firm focused on climate change. He advocated and played a major role in preserving the Global Warming Solutions Act in California and has continued to push for environmental innovation and justice nationally, including in his campaign in the 2020 presidential race. Further, his book, Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We’ll Win the Climate War, became a New York Times bestseller. In his speech, Steyer mentioned the importance of making climate-friendly solutions attractive options in the market and reminded the audience that new technology made this effort possible.
Sean Ricard / The Exonian
When asked about his preparation for his assembly in a post-assembly interview, Steyer said, “It required twenty years of thought. I was particularly inspired to take action about climate change when I went to Alaska with my family and saw it melting. A piece of advice I have for students to make real change is to take yourself seriously. You have great capabilities and responsibilities.”
Upper Ethan Benenson found Steyer’s speech inspiring. “I thought that although the call to action was slightly vague, the message of hope and inspiration was very important because often climate change conversations can be about blaming others and embracing nihilism. His positive message is important for many to hear.”
Steyer also mentioned nuclear energy in his assembly speech. He noted in particular that discourse around nuclear energy is often polarized. He offered a far more nuanced vision on nuclear energy, citing his belief that nuclear energy had the potential to be dangerous, but only when used incorrectly.
Instructor in Science Frances Johnson noted his unique response to questions about nuclear energy. “I appreciated his answer to the nuclear power question,” she said. “People get too polarized on the issue, and I appreciated that he showed his point of view.”
Lower Ciara O’Neill recognized Steyer’s bipartisan message. “I thought he was very well spoken and I liked how he was advocating for everyone to face a common goal,” she said. “That’s a really good philosophy for solving this global issue.”
As an alumnus, Steyer appealed to Exonians far more than typical speakers. Upper Andrew Boova liked Steyer’s pragmatic and positive tone. “I was happy that we had an alumnus speaking,” Boova said. “I think Exeter did a good job of bringing a speaker who is pragmatically addressing the issue, rather than parroting a doom-and-gloom outlook on the climate future.”
Steyer’s positivity was indeed one of the most striking elements of the assembly. “I was kind of tearing up a bit,” said lower Ari Lee. “I liked how he talked about us as not just kids, but responsible adults who would carry the values of Exeter into society.”
Most of Steyer’s presentation was answering questions from students. “I think he answered the audience’s questions as well as he could. The answer to the question about which Republican made a positive impact on climate change was good because he had a lack of bias; Steyer demonstrated how people shouldn’t be judged by which party they are in and reminded us that collaborative effort is important,” said Benenson.
Prep Emre Oklu praised Steyer’s commentary as being “insightful, especially in our contemporary times when misinformation is ubiquitous,” highlighting Steyer’s strong and straightforward opinions. Oklu went on, saying that Steyer “shed light on the problems that are being downplayed very often today,” showing his appreciation for Steyer’s advocacy and promotion of climate change solutions.
“His answers were on-topic, but maybe I would have appreciated it if he gave us more statistics to inform us,” explained upper Kateryna Horeva. “Nonetheless, I think he did a good job optimizing time to answer as many questions as he could.”
Lower Holden Sage-Murillo, however, thought the assembly was redundant, “Although the assembly gave insight into the actual people fighting climate change, it was a bit repetitive,” he said. “We all know climate change is real. We all know climate change is bad. And I don’t think it further proves something we knew.”
At the end of the day, most students were well aware of the issues discussed in Steyer’s assembly. Nevertheless, students and faculty alike hoped that his speech will continue to stir up discussion on campus about the issue. “Students, and, really, all humans, have a tendency to immediately agree or disagree,” concluded Johnson. “It’s a difficult, yet important skill to stand back and analyze the actual information without jumping right to ‘good’ or ‘bad.’”
Sean Ricard / The Exonian
