Mark Bernstein

The general consensus is that we will struggle to feed the world by 2050, and it would be made more difficult if we shift to more sustainable agriculture. In this talk Bernstein will provide a high-level overview of the key issues and problems in food and why the problem is more complex than many people take into account. He will then use California as an example of the problems for ag in the face of climate change and show how innovative approaches to policy and finance can shift agriculture to be more sustainable and increase yields.

Mark Bernstein is an innovative leader in sustainability, marketing, research and strategic planning for energy, climate and the environment. Mark has 25 years’ pioneering energy and sustainable solutions through robust analysis and innovative frameworks across academic, private, public and non-profit sectors. He is currently working with, and advising, a number of cleantech startup companies including electric airplanes, recycling rare-earth magnets and helping create an online stock exchange designed to value, monetize and protect natural and social assets.

Mark has a long history of research and analysis, as a senior researcher at the RAND Corporation and a professor at the University of Southern California and University of Pennsylvania. He also has worked in government with the Clinton Administration’s White House Office of Science & Technology Policy where he led efforts on energy efficiency in housing and climate change technology strategies, and the private sector with Pegasus Capital Advisors, a private equity firm where he led thought leadership and sustainable investment efforts.