Co-executive Chair of Galvanize Climate Solutions Tom Steyer ostensibly came to the Athenaeum stage on February 7 to talk about climate change and a transition to renewable energy, but he offered his thoughts on much more. In a spirited conversation before a packed Athenaeum audience, Steyer addressed everything from voter activism and education access to gun violence and presidential politics. Visiting Associate Professor Environment and Law Policy Thomas McHenry moderated the conversation with Steyer, educated at Phillips Exeter Academy, Yale, and Stanford and an enormously successful hedge fund entrepreneur, who described his transition from money-maker to philanthropist and environmental activist. It began on a family vacation to Alaska, where he’d been many years before.
“We get there and it’s just melting…it was so obvious. And we all decided this is a huge deal,” he said. Steyer then began to train his enormous wealth on helping to find solutions to slow the steady global temperature increase – starting by investing in technological solutions, moving on to climate change messaging, and then working on political solutions.
“I have to tell you – it doesn’t matter what you think, it matters how you vote,” he shared.
Steyer said he entered the crowded Democratic field in the 2020 presidential race out of frustration that candidates weren’t talking about the problems and concerns he thought mattered. “I honestly thought I could bring up some issues specifically climate-[related] and try to push the party and the country to deal with the issues that I thought were in our face.”
Steyer dropped out of the race after four state contests but professed to love the human interaction of the campaign trail immensely, saying he couldn’t understand why candidates would ever complain about it. “I mean I wanted to say have you ever had a job? That’s hard!”
The career advice he offered to the largely student audience is that all jobs going forward will be connected in some way to a climate solution economy. “I believe that this will be the defining issue for this country… it’s going to be everything – every company is going to have to be taking climate into consideration because if we don’t, we’re definitely not going to win.”
Speaker Quote
“I’m a Democrat and I believe we’re right on just about every issue…but I think in large part the Democratic party tends to take a dour view of our country and our world…my belief is that we have a huge task in front of us and we’re definitely up to it…[but] I believe the Democrats should be much more positive about the people of the United States and our future.”
Why I’m here: Adam Terenyi ’25 of San Antonio, an international relations major
“I have a lot of thoughts and questions on the use of philanthropic solutions for climate change. I want to hear Tom out.”
From the audience: Brenna Bell ’25, an environmental, economics and politics major
“If you had to choose between educating older Americans or future generations about climate change, which would you choose?”
Steyer: “As the largest, most diverse, and most progressive generation in American history – If young people vote, it changes everything. I would say that it’s a lot easier to go with young people.”