Climate Change, Energy and Environment

Understanding Climate Change

During the last two centuries, industrial activities, deforestation and burning fossil fuels they have released high concentrations of heat-trapping agents called greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere. While a certain amount of greenhouse gases is important to maintain our warm and liveable climate, these higher concentrations are heating the surface of the Earth at temperatures threaten life on our planet. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane are two greenhouse gases have increased dramatically due to human activity.

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Overwhelming scientific and real-life impacts consensus tells us that global warming is real, is caused by human activity, and is a major threat to our health, economy and environment.

Environmental effects
The heating temperatures caused by greenhouse gases are responsible for the rise in sea level (melting glaciers and ice caps), melting permafrost, changes in the distribution of plants and animals, and lengthening stations . Scientists are also increasingly confident in linking climate change to catastrophic storms, droughts, forest fires and hurricanes we have experienced in recent years.

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

During and after the industrial revolution, we have acquired most of our energy to build our cities, to transport goods and people, and more, through the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil. Fossil fuels are not sustainable finite source of energy and combustion produces greenhouse gases that lead to global warming. To solve these problems, EarthShare members are working not only in the defense of renewable energy, but also to reduce our waste through improved energy efficiency and design.

Impacts on energy:-

The environmental impact of the energy industry is diverse. The energy has been used by humans for millennial. Initially it was with the use of fire for light, heat, cooking and safety, and its use dates back at least 1.9 million years. In recent years there has been a trend toward increasing commercialization of a variety of renewable energy sources.

The consumption of fossil fuels leads to global warming and climate change. In most parts of the world they are making little changes to curb these changes. If the peak oil theory proves to be true, and further exploration of alternative energy sources become viable, the impact could be less hostile to our environment.

Warm and Cold, We Share Together… A Civilization Journey of Climate

Sustainable Development: Ensuring a Better Future for the World Tomorrow

As a former Trustee of the National Center for Sustainable Development (NCSD), my team and I were responsible for cooperating with China Central TV (CCTV) in the production of the documentary  “Warm and Cold, We Share Together… A Civilization Journey of Climate”, a 12-episode TV Series Documentary on Climate Change, sponsored by the NCSD along with China CCTV and the support from business leaders, institutions, NGOs and governments.  We are proud to have participated in the project with the CCTV producers to organize many of the distinguished people interviewed for the documentary.

Damian Omar Valdez – Former Trustee, National Center for Sustainable Development

The documentary is not the interpretation of climate science or the presentation of the climate crisis. From the viewpoint of human history and the environment, the documentary presents a timeline of the journey that our civilization has experienced relative to the earth’s evolving climates over the eons, from which we may derive inspiration on future approaches to economic development. The documentary aims to enlighten viewers on the evolution of climate change and the emergence of global warming and present possible future trends and the impact of climate change, and more importantly – to raise environmental awareness so that society may take responsibility for action to protect and enhance the human environment.

Damian Omar Valdez – Sustainable Development & Investment

Damian Omar Valdez’s career has been dedicated to investments that address the challenges of Sustainable Development, primarily related to Energy Security, Technology, Economic Development, and the Environment.

Damian Omar Valdez

Damian Omar Valdez has over 25 years of international business experience as an entrepreneur and investor, with extensive experience in the energy, maritime, telecommunications, information technology, media, financial services and FinTech industries.  His business experience has spanned the globe, from North America, Europe, and Asia, with extensive emerging market experience throughout Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, South America, North and West Africa, South East Asia and China.

Mr. Valdez is a serial entrepreneur and investor who specializes in building business from the ground up.  Throughout his career he has taken an innovative approach to many established business ideas, adapting them to shifting technological and market paradigms, across multiple asset classes, including venture capital, private equity, distressed assets, commodities, real estate, and credit alternatives.  With this approach, Mr. Valdez’s business career and activities have been dedicated to investments that address the challenges of Sustainable Development, principally focusing on energy security, technology, economic development, and the environment.

Presently Mr. Damian Omar Valdez divides his time between venture capital and private equity investments in energy, FinTech, and e-Commerce through Prosper Group.   He is responsible for the research, development and execution of the investment strategies pursued by Prosper, and participates in the corporate, strategic, technical and financial planning, operations and business affairs of its portfolio companies.

Prior to Prosper Group, Mr. Valdez served as President of Sinoaccess Investments, Inc., (2000-2011) which he co-founded with a Chinese partner, initially to pursue investments in broadband IT infrastructure and wireless media technologies in China.  In 2005, he redirected and dedicated the company’s focus to invest in renewable energy and emissions credits trading in China.  He was responsible for the research, development and execution of the investment strategies and business management of the firm, and participated in several hydro-electric projects in China under the Kyoto Protocol. During this time, Mr. Valdez served as a Trustee of the National Center for Sustainable Development (www.ncsdusa.org), a U.S. based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, from 2009 to 2011.  He was responsible for developing the founding concepts, strategy, and expansion of the NCSD’s mission to include Energy Security and Low Carbon Energy, Water Scarcity and Global Climate Change. During his tenure as a Trustee he was responsible for developing cooperative programs in association with the China CDM Fund of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Water Resources of China.

From 2004, Mr. Valdez returned to the financial services industry to focus on the small business credit and lending sector in the U.S., and was the founder of Evolution Group and several predecessor investment companies (2004-2011) providing a platform for investments focused on small business loan assets.

From 1995 to 2004, he engaged in venture capital investments in the international telecom business, wireless telecom and broadband IT infrastructure, and internet and mobile technologies, having established and successfully operated several private communications companies through Worldstar Development Corp., (1995-2004) a private investment firm he founded based in New York, Ivanhoe Capital Corp., Pte Ltd. (2000-2001), a private equity investment firm based in Singapore, and Sinoaccess Investments, Inc., (2000-2011).  Mr. Valdez oversaw Worldstar’s, Ivanhoe’s and Sinoaccess’s corporate, strategic, technical and financial planning and the operations and business affairs of their respective investments in the U.S., South America, the Caribbean, North and West Africa, Indonesia, Singapore and China.  During this period (late 2001 to 2003) Mr. Valdez served as a consultant and advisor to Enron Broadband Services, Inc. and Dynegy Inc.’s Dynegy Global Communications to evaluate expansion, investment and restructuring opportunities in their respective communications businesses.

From late 1989 to 1995, Mr. Valdez was involved in distressed asset investments in the energy and maritime sectors, during which he worked as an Associate with SEACOR Holdings, Inc. (NYSE, CKH), from 1993 to late 1994, involved in investments and operations in offshore marine support vessels serving the offshore oil and gas exploration and production industry.  Prior to SEACOR Mr. Valdez founded American Marine Capital Corp. in 1992, where he engaged in investments in maritime transportation and infrastructure for crude oil, LNG, and coal and distressed offshore and onshore oil-field services equipment in the U.S., up until 1995.  From 1990 to 1992, Mr. Valdez worked as an Associate at Bergvall & Hudner Shipwoners and Investors, a boutique investment firm where he participated in the research, planning and implementation of distressed asset strategies in the maritime sector.  He was responsible for analyzing investments, ship finance and mergers and acquisitions, and worked extensively on four transactions including B+H Crude Carriers Ltd., an owner of crude oil tankers, and B+H Bulk Carriers Ltd., B+H Ocean Carriers Ltd. and B+H Maritime Carriers Ltd., that were IPO’s on the AMEX that owned dry bulk carriers and product tankers.

Mr. Valdez started his career in the financial services industry in New York as a high-yield debt analyst with Drexel Burnham Lambert in 1988 and subsequently with Scudder Stevens and Clark in 1989.

Mr. Valdez earned a Bachelors of Science in Economics, with a major in Finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.