Join SFI’s monthly seminar on the first or second Thursday of the month from 4:00 - 5:00 pm PT to meet our faculty and fellows and learn more about our ongoing research projects. We’ll cover innovative policy and financial mechanisms designed to rapidly decarbonize the global economy.

Up first on Thursday, October 10:

For the past 15 years, companies have been seen as central to addressing climate change, given their emissions and level of accountability to civil society and the public. However, the current system of greenhouse gas inventories and related interventions —particularly for indirect emissions (Scope 3) — has proven inefficient, as many companies lack the resources and expertise to meaningfully address these impacts. Despite significant corporate spending on current net zero targets, global emissions continue to rise. This seminar will explore a proposal known as “Plan C,” an alternative approach meant to simplify corporate goal setting and action while also increasing impact. Plan C envisions a system where companies contribute to centralized funds or platforms focused on high-impact climate interventions. These funds, accountable for measurable outcomes, would streamline the allocation of resources and expertise to a more targeted suite of activities, offering an efficient way to maximize the private sector's contribution to reducing global emissions though voluntary action.

Background reading: Landscape Surroung 'Plan C'

Speaker bio:

Peter Freed has over 20 years of experience working at the nexus of clean energy and climate. He provides strategic advice to companies and investors aiming to optimize business performance and climate outcomes within the energy sector. His areas of expertise include enabling load growth, data center development and AI infrastructure, the deployment of advanced energy technologies, utility, regulatory, and policy engagement, as well as commercial structuring and negotiation—all with a focus on accelerating the transition to a clean, reliable grid of the future.

In addition to his advisory work, Peter serves as a Research Fellow at the Sustainable Finance Initiative at Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability, where he works on innovative strategies to maximize the impact of companies in combating climate change. Additionally, he is a Senior Advisor to the Energy Transition and Sustainability team at Warburg Pincus. In his most recent role, Peter spent a decade as the Director of Energy Strategy at Meta, where he led efforts to advance grid decarbonization and reliability, aligning with Meta’s data center energy and net zero objectives. Peter was a founding board member of the Clean Energy Buyers Alliance. He holds a BS in Earth Systems from Stanford University.