Archive for February, 2008

I had a chance recently to see the replay of a presentation on global warming given by Dr. Stephen Schneider, a senior fellow at Stanford, and one of the world’s foremost experts on climate change. In 2007, as a member of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), Dr. Schneider was part of the team that won the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore. To show how much local interest there is in this subject, 700 people showed up for 400 seats for Dr. Schneider’s original presentation in January.

Dr. Schneider is outspoken and entertaining in his presentation. As much as has been written and broadcast on this subject, he brings yet another perspective to it, as sobering as it may be. He shows statistics and pictures that are startling in the magnitude of change to our planet.

From Dr. Schneider’s perspective, it’s clear that we need to get off the track we’re on. He feels that three strategies are needed:

• Personal Commitment from each and every one of us.
• Investment in Innovation in new technology.
• Setting Costs for Emissions to provide a financial incentive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

He leaves no doubt that global warming is a fact and is happening now. What struck me most was something he said about the temperature increase on our planet. While there is frequently talk about how much increase in Earth’s temperature there can be before we reach a tipping point, or go beyond a point of no return, Dr. Schneider is unequivocal in saying that any further increase in temperature is unacceptable.

Our economy is experiencing turbulence right now, with the gloominess of the subprime mortgage crisis hanging over us, intervention of the Fed in slashing interest rates in the midst of economic weakness and fear of a recession, and an upcoming vote on an economic stimulus package.

Despite the storm we’re in, this is in stark contrast to the abundance of optimism I saw at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento this week. Everyone I spoke to, from one end of the supply chain to the other, unanimously expressed optimimism at the health and strength of the wine industry.

It seems rather obvious to me, that in our country (and county) right now, opinions vary wildly on what the state of our economy really is. Without making a judgment on what the real answer is, especially since the best and brightest economists in our country can’t agree, I think it’s critical to note that whatever the state of the overall economy, there will always be pockets that are thriving while others struggle. Regardless of the situation, businesses and industries succeed even in the gloomiest or most challenging overall economic conditions.

 With that as a given, it’s great to see that within the wine industry, regardless of the state of the overall economy, the current outlook is optimistic, which bodes well for the future.