Climate Change, Business, and Sustainability: Sabin Center’s Leading Expert Visits Chile
Michael Burger, the Executive Director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, is at the forefront of developing innovative legal strategies to combat climate change. With a focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting climate adaptation through effective resource management, pollution control, land-use planning, and green finance, Burger is a prominent figure in the field of climate change law. His recent visit to Santiago in mid-April included a series of lectures, site visits, and discussions on sustainability and climate change strategies with government officials, major private and state-run companies, students, and scientists.
Chile consistently ranks among the countries most vulnerable to the severe impacts of climate change. In light of this, Burger was invited by the Santiago Center, with activities organized in collaboration with Robert Currie, a Columbia Law School alumnus who works closely with the Sabin Center and serves as a lawyer at the Chilean Ministry of the Environment.
Key Activities and Insights from the Visit
Burger's first site visit took him to the underground tunnels of Codelco's El Teniente copper mine, located near Rancagua, south of Santiago. There, he participated in a presentation on the company’s Responsible Copper Initiative—a newly launched plan aimed at introducing transparency and enhancing environmental and social standards within Codelco’s supply chain. As the world's largest producer of copper, state-run Codelco is pivotal in the global mining industry.
Following this, Burger delivered a compelling morning lecture at the Santiago Center titled "Climate Change Risks and Opportunities: What the Paris Agreement Means for Business." Chaired by Carlos Finat, President of the Chilean Association of Renewable Energies (ACERA), the lecture explored the implications of current and forthcoming climate regulations—both global, such as the 2017 Paris Agreement, and local. Burger highlighted how these regulations may pose challenges through increased costs but also create significant opportunities for businesses. He addressed the potential impacts on business operations and growth, the transition away from fossil fuel dependence, and the physical risks that climate change presents to corporate facilities and operations.
In addition to his public lectures, Burger served as a keynote speaker at an internal workshop of the Chilean government's inter-ministerial working group on climate change. Here, he discussed critical policy considerations relevant to climate change laws worldwide. He also participated in a luncheon roundtable with heads of sustainability divisions from some of the largest national and international companies in Chile, including CMPC, Anglo-American, Aguas Andinas, and BHP Billiton, hosted by Spencer Stuart, a global executive search firm. Additionally, he engaged with local scientists from the Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR2).
Burger concluded his visit with a presentation at the Law School of the Universidad de Desarrollo, further solidifying Columbia's commitment to fostering dialogue and collaboration in addressing climate change challenges.
The Santiago Center talk was co-hosted by AmCham Chile and the Líderes Empresariales Contra el Cambio Climático (Business Leaders Against Climate Change), or CLG.