London, UK - 5 August 2007, 09:41 GMT

Dear ATCA Colleagues

[Please note that the views presented by individual contributors are not necessarily representative of the views of ATCA, which is neutral. ATCA conducts collective Socratic dialogue on global opportunities and threats.]

We are grateful to:

. Ashutosh Sheshabalaya, based in Brussels, EU, and Bassilly, Belgium, for "Climate and Poverty -- Comparative Advantage of Democracy to Global Markets;"
. The Lord Howell of Guildford, based at The Palace of Westminster, UK, for "Climate and Poverty -- Why mixing the two 'Noble Goals' can make sense!;"
. Elizabeth Marshall, based in Wick, Caithness, UK, for, "Climate and Poverty -- The Necessity for Working Cross Sectorally;"
. Dr George Feiger, based in Berkeley, California, USA, for "Why mixing Climate and Poverty does not work;"
. Elizabeth Marshall, based in Wick, Caithness, UK, for "Prioritising Investment in Pragmatic Climate Solutions;"
. Prof Barbara Harriss-White, based in Oxford, UK, for "Climate Chaos, Capitalism, Cosmopolitics and Energy Policy Coherence;"
. John Menzies, an Australian national, who operates between Sofia, Bulgaria, and Vancouver, Canada, for "Climate Chaos or a Chaotic Climate?;"
. Elizabeth Marshall, based in Wick, Caithness, UK, for "Extreme Weather's Result: Infrastructure and Harvest Damage plus Rising Food Prices;" and
. Aurora Carlson, based on the West Coast, Sweden, for "Climate Chaos, Potential Human Extinction and Our Thoughts, Intentions & Emotions;"

in response to the ATCA think-pieces: "Extreme Weather: Flash floods Cause Chaos across Britain; Emergency Services in meltdown; Claims to cross USD 4 billion" and "Climate Chaos: UK Extreme Weather Update: Water runs out in flood-hit areas; Power Supplies Threatened Government Emergency Committee Meets; USD 2 billion+ pa for Flood Defences."

Ashutosh Sheshabalaya is the author of 'Rising Elephant', which is a heavily-researched bestseller about India's rise and long-term opportunity and challenge to the West, published in the US, India and Europe. Described as a "tour de force" by the Director of UBS bank's Wolfsberg think-tank and as "highly provocative" by former Indian Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, 'Rising Elephant' has been reviewed worldwide. He writes:

Dear DK and Colleagues

Re: Climate and Poverty -- Comparative Advantage of Democracy to Global Markets

Dr Feiger is probably correct in implying that mixing two separate battles -- against climate chaos, and poverty -- need not necessarily work, within or outside the market.
Lots of caveats there, but I am not a mind reader. However, there is most certainly a common front in the wider challenge, which encompasses both battles.

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I doubt if China's technocratic elites -- determined to build a rich, 'developed' country in the shortest possible time -- have a real, hard interest in paying anything more than lip service to such 'soft' priorities. Why should they?

Kind regards

Ashutosh Sheshabalaya

Ashutosh Sheshabalaya has worked in Brussels as an accredited foreign correspondent, in public affairs (for the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries), and as a strategic consultant -- both for private corporations as well as the European Commission, Invest in Sweden Agency and others. In total, he has led research projects for over 65 studies covering a wide range of industries. Now heading Belgium-based India-Advisory, he is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars in Europe, India and the US, a columnist for the Indian online news portal Sify and an occasional contributor to Yale University's Center for Globalisation and Washington's Globalist. A winner of the all-India National Science Talent Scholarship and the Wien International Scholarship, he studied at a leading Indian engineering institution, the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, and at Brandeis University in the US. Mr Sheshabalaya is married to a Belgian and is part of New and Old India. His parents were both university Vice Chancellors, and his family includes an Industry Minister in the Nehru government, a Commissioner in British India and representative of the Tata industrial group, one of India's first women legislators, senior military officers, diplomats and seven members of the elite Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
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The Right Honourable Lord (David) Howell of Guildford, President of the British Institute of Energy Economics, is a former Secretary of State for Energy and for Transport in the UK Government and an economist and journalist. He writes:

Dear DK and Colleagues

Re: Climate and Poverty -- Why mixing the two 'Noble Goals' can makes sense!

I enjoyed Dr George Feiger's trenchant comments about poverty and climate chaos, and go well over half way towards agreeing with him.

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But the key requirement is to focus on practical and profitable energy, and energy-saving, technologies and opportunities and to let the lower-carbon and greener consequences flow from them, rather than muddy the waters with unworkable global carbon-capping schemes and unachievable targets pompously agreed at Summits which declare the ends and overlook the means.

Best wishes

David Howell

The Lord Howell is Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords and Conservative Spokesman on Foreign Affairs. He also Chairs the Windsor Energy Group. Until 2002 he was Chairman of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group, (the high level bilateral forum between leading UK and Japanese politicians, industrialists and academics), which was first set up by Margaret Thatcher and Yasuhiro Nakasone in 1984. In addition he writes a fortnightly column for The JAPAN TIMES in Tokyo, and has done so since 1985. He also writes regularly for the International Herald Tribune. David Howell was the Chairman of the House of Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, 1987-97. He was Chairman of the House of Lords European Sub-Committee on Common Foreign and Security Policy from 1999-2000. In 2001 he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japan). His latest book, 'Out of the Energy Labyrinth' has been described as 'a serious and thoughtful attempt to grapple with the complexities of the energy challenge and foreign policy', by James R Schlesinger, and as 'a terrific book, not least because of its topicality' by Sir Simon Jenkins.
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Elizabeth Marshall is a Fellow of The Energy Institute in London and Member of the Ad Hoc Expert Group on Energy convened by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), based in Geneva, Switzerland, since 1992. Elizabeth is a former director of the British Institute of Energy Economics and a member of The Windsor Energy Group of which The Lord Howell, a long standing ATCA contributor, is Chairman. She is based in the extreme North of the United Kingdom in Wick, Caithness, and is a member of the Institute of Directors in London and The Reform Club. She writes:

Dear DK and Colleagues

Re: Climate and Poverty -- The Necessity for Working Cross Sectorally

I note with interest Dr Feiger's comments on ATCA. I have no political axe to grind and have never been a member of any political organisation. I would beg to differ from Dr Feiger, based on my own direct business experience of structuring and raising funds for working in cross sector partnerships between the private, public and voluntary sectors to stimulate economic regeneration in a fashion which benefits all parties.

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The outstanding example I know of where one can see this philosophy put into action is ASDA's (a division of Wal-mart) programme of waste minimisation, which is targeting zero waste by 2010 and which not only has been seen to be wealth creating for the corporation by doing so, but will also take many people out of poverty by creating many thousands of new jobs in so doing.

Kind regards

Elizabeth Marshall