Friday, January 22, 2010

Fighting climate change takes a union of people

Strategist Aimee Christensen is making it happen


By SABINA DANA PLASSE
Express Staff Writer

Aimee Christensen is a Ketchum native who is the founder and CEO of Christensen Global Strategies. Photo by David N. Seelig

The Wood River Valley is a community that is generally receptive to discussions about how to combat climate change. One valley native, Aimee Christensen, who grew up in Ketchum and is a graduate of The Community School, has taken her commitment to slowing climate change to a new level; she has become a strategist among leaders of nations and global energy companies.

"I love solving the problem of global energy," Christensen said. "For a whole century, we have relied on one resource for fuel and energy with very little diversification."

Christensen, 40, the daughter of valley residents Ann and Doug Christensen, is the founder and CEO of Christensen Global Strategies, which has offices across the country. She received her B.A. from Smith College and her J.D. from Stanford Law School. At law school, she wrote and led efforts to obtain the adoption by Stanford's board of trustees of a "Climate Change and Investment Responsibility Policy," which governs the university's investments to this day.

She has worked on many levels of policy-making regarding the environment, human rights and development for two decades. Her experience includes working in government and the private sector and with non-governmental organizations. She said her clients want to contribute to solving the global challenges of climate change and wider ecosystem degradation and resource scarcity.

Her interests in climate change have taken her to the White House to work on international policy change as well as working with CEOs of large U.S. energy companies, including Duke Energy. Duke Energy provides electric power to more than 11 million people in five states—North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers was an early and outspoken advocate for climate change legislation. Christensen's firm is advising Rogers on climate change strategy, including international policy strategy and technology cooperation.

Christensen said there is a real lack of understanding about clean energy economics.

"It's more efficient," she said. "Jobs can be created from wind and solar energy. In Pennsylvania, they are building wind turbines."

Christensen said the public needs to demand legislation but is scared of change.

"We have no other choice," she said. "We cannot be afraid of opportunities."

Christensen has appeared on National Public Radio and Fox News. She served as a panelist for "America's Town Hall" on energy moderated by Minnesota Gov. Jennifer Granholm at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations Independent Task Force on Climate Change and of Newsweek's Global Environmental Leadership advisory board. She is a board member of the American Council on Renewable Energy, ecoAmerica and the National Association of Environmental Law Societies.

Christensen said a trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, in December to attend the global energy summit COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference left her feeling hopeful about President Barack Obama's energy policies. She said he has a passion but needs help to support those policies. The 2009 COP15 meeting created the Copenhagen Accord, an agreement among the countries attending the conference recognizing climate change as the most important issue of the 21st century and the many issues that need to be addressed related to climate change.

"We need to support political leaders by engaging them," she said. "If the public is excited, political leaders will support treaties on climate change.

"It's not giving up anything. It's a better quality of life and cleaner technology."

Christensen said that understanding climate change means more energy choices.

"Prices are coming down for wind and solar energy," Christensen said. "Wind is now more competitive with natural gas in parts of our nation.

"I come home to Idaho and I think it can be a base and a showcase for clean energy. We have resources and with better policies we can create jobs, save money and weatherize homes."

She said Idaho can be a new model and renewable energy electricity supplier, and it should not be a partisan issue.

"China is kicking our butts," she said. "The first Chinese billionaire made his money from solar energy."

She said climate change issues are critical to the nation's stability and prosperity and that we live in a time when technology, information and motivation are available to make progress toward a better future.

Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.