Protecting Our Planet: Henry M. Paulson Jr.

Henry M. Paulson Jr., former U.S. treasury secretary and Goldman Sachs CEO, is chairman of the Paulson Institute and the executive chairman of the global fund, TPG Rise Climate.

On Tuesday, April 20 at 2:30pm ET, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius speaks with Paulson about the role of business in addressing climate change, the implications for the economy, and the U.S.-China relationship ahead of the Biden administration’s Earth Day summit of global leaders.

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Highlights

Henry M. Paulson Jr., chairman of the Paulson Institute, says he thinks former president Donald Trump has damaged the United States’ standing on climate change. “Well, I think a lot of damage was done. And I don’t think it’s going to be easy to regain leadership across the board, right? Because I think much of the rest of the world has, you know, lost some of the confidence in the U.S. But I will tell you one thing I do know that I’ve heard from leaders around the world, CEOs around the world, They are really glad to see the U.S. back, and they’re really hoping and expecting we’re going to play an important leadership role.” (Video: Washington Post Live)

Henry M. Paulson Jr., chairman of the Paulson Institute, said the United States and China will have to work together on climate change. “This relationship is going to be fraught for the foreseeable future. And so, we’re going to have to work together and make progress in areas where we have a common interest. China is ground zero when it comes to climate change. Thirty-three percent of the global emissions come from China. So, I can say flat out, we’ve got no hope of avoiding the worst outcomes if China doesn’t make real progress, and if China fails, the worst outcomes are going to accelerate.” (Video: Washington Post Live)

Henry M. Paulson Jr.

Henry Paulson is executive chairman of TPG Rise Climate, the climate investing platform of the global private equity firm TPG. He is also the founder and chairman of the Paulson Institute, which aims to foster a more balanced and productive US-China relationship focusing at the intersection of green finance, conservation, and economics. Paulson is the co-chair of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group, and co-chair of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum Advisory Board. Paulson served as the 74th Secretary of the Treasury under President George W. Bush. Prior to that, he had a thirty-two year career at Goldman Sachs, ultimately serving as chairman and chief executive officer. A lifelong conservationist, Paulson was Chairman of The Nature Conservancy Board of Directors and, prior to that, founded and co-chaired the organization’s Asia-Pacific Council. He also founded and co-chaired the Latin American Conservation Council. In addition, he co-chaired the Risky Business Project, a non-partisan initiative that quantified and publicized the economic risks of climate change in the United States. Paulson is the author of the best sellers On the Brink and Dealing with China. He is also the co-author of two books with Ben Bernanke and Tim Geithner, First Responders and Firefighting. Paulson graduated from Dartmouth College and received an M.B.A. from Harvard University.