Press Release
November 9, 2011
Contact: Tom Steinfeldt, 703-516-4146
CENTER FOR CLIMATE AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS LAUNCHED IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
Washington, D.C. – The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), a new nonprofit organization promoting strong policy and action to address the twin challenges of energy and climate change, was launched today at an event in Washington, D.C.
The independent, nonpartisan Center is the successor to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, which was widely recognized in the United States and abroad as an influential voice on climate issues. Pew Center founder and president Eileen Claussen assumes the new role of C2ES president.
“There is greater need than ever for common sense and common ground in the search for climate and energy solutions,” Claussen said. “These challenges are real, and we can’t afford to deny or ignore them. We need stronger action here and around the world to keep these challenges from becoming crises. As C2ES, we bring the same team and the same commitment to fact-based analysis and pragmatic solutions.”
C2ES’s launch marks the Center’s transition from the long-time support of The Pew Charitable Trusts to a broader base of charitable, corporate and public support. Three Strategic Partners – Entergy, HP and Shell – have made substantial multi-year funding commitments to the new organization. Other major contributors include the Alcoa Foundation, Bank of America, GE, The Energy Foundation, Duke Energy, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
“We are deeply indebted to The Pew Charitable Trusts for its many years of extraordinary support. Without Pew, we could not possibly be the organization we are today,” Claussen said. “But it’s time we stand on our own two feet, and thanks to our many supporters, we can. We’re especially thankful that, even amid such economic and political uncertainty, so many in the business and philanthropic communities are so deeply committed to our mission.”
Rebecca Rimel, president and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trusts, congratulated C2ES on its launch. “As a highly respected, nonpartisan voice for climate change solutions, the Center has played a pivotal role in this debate since 1998,” Rimel said. “All of us at Pew could not be prouder of their work to bring together leaders from the business, governmental and scientific communities to address this complex issue. While we applaud their important accomplishments to date, we are excited to see the Center transition to this new chapter and wish them continued success.”
Claussen said that the principal activities of the Arlington, Va.-based organization will include:
- Providing timely, impartial information and analysis on the scientific, economic, technological and policy dimensions of climate and energy challenges;
- Working with policymakers and stakeholders to promote practical, effective climate and energy policies at the state, national and international levels;
- Convening multi-stakeholder initiatives, such as ongoing efforts to accelerate the deployment of plug-in electric vehicles and expand the use of captured CO2 for enhanced oil recovery;
- Continuing to convene the Business Environmental Leadership Council (BELC) – with more than 40 leading corporations, the largest U.S.-based group of companies supporting policy and action to address climate and energy; and
- Partnering with companies and others through the Make an Impact program to educate consumers and employees on ways to reduce their energy use and carbon footprints.
C2ES’s establishment was announced by board chair Theodore Roosevelt IV at an event at the Newseum. The program featured a discussion of the climate and energy policy outlook with Claussen, Entergy Chairman and CEO Wayne Leonard, former Senator John Warner, and Resources for the Future president Phil Sharp, moderated by NBC News correspondent Anne Thompson.
“These issues are critical to our environment, our security, our competitiveness, and the well-being of countless people around the globe,” Roosevelt said. “Only a sensible centrist approach can bring us lasting solutions. I’m very proud to help lead C2ES’s efforts to bring people together around pragmatic strategies that meet our energy needs while protecting the global climate.”
Leonard noted the strong intersection of climate and energy issues for Entergy. “As the electric utility company that serves customers along the disappearing Louisiana coastline, Entergy knows firsthand the risks and ultimate consequences of climate change for coastal communities and the Gulf Coast’s energy infrastructure,” Leonard said. “We also know that it is not too late to reduce the risks of climate change. We congratulate the Pew Center for offering an essential, highly credible voice on these issues over many years, and we look forward to working closely with the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions to build support for practical, effective solutions.”
GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt commended Claussen on C2ES’s launch. “I welcome the formation of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, and look forward to working with Eileen Claussen and the other companies participating in this important effort. America needs a strong national energy policy that promotes diverse and reliable energy supplies, ensures affordable energy for American businesses and families, reduces greenhouse gases, and protects our national security. Eileen is a critical thought leader on energy and climate issues; under her leadership, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions will bring credible information and analysis to one of the most important policy issues of our time.”
Further information about C2ES is available at www.c2es.org. Find us on Twitter @C2ES_org