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Climate Confab Draws Global Expertise by Eliana Lyon Idaho Mountain Express, July 26, 2024

Nez Perce leader advocates for breaching Snake River dams

The Sun Valley Forum took place for its ninth year last week, bringing in speakers from across the globe to discuss pressing climate-related challenges and solutions.

Speakers included Patagonia Inc. President Jenna Johnson; climate justice activist and Re-Earth Initiative Co-founder Xiye Bastida; Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee Chairman Shannon Wheeler; Hip Hop Caucus CEO Lennox Yearwood Jr.; and Mission Blue President Sylvia Earle.

Topics covered at the 2024 forum included learning from nature and indigenous people; scaling solutions for nature; shifting the human relationship with nature through art, stories and experiences; transforming food, energy, business and finance to restore nature; and developing the presence, capacities and relationships to lead change.

Each day of the conference, which ran from July 15-17, included roughly 12 hours of talks, interviews and workshops. A fourth, partial day included hiking, rafting and biking trips.

Aimee Christensen, CEO of Christensen Global, founded the forum in 2013 after having worked at the United Nations' Copenhagen climate talks in 2009. She said her work abroad made her see just how vulnerable the Wood River Valley was to climate change.

Before founding the forum, Christensen served as a special adviser to the U.N. Secretary General's high-level Sustainable Energy For All group; founding program chair of the World Climate Summit; and adviser to the Clinton Global Initiative.

Christensen said that after witnessing the 2007 Castle Rock Fire, which burned roughly 49,000 acres west of Ketchum; the 2013 Beaver Creek Fire, which scorched 114,900 acres west of Hailey and Ketchum; and more frequently changing winter snowfalls, she was driven to create the forum. She said in an interview with the Express she "believed in the power of curation and connecting people to each other to go further, faster."

"I was seeing all the climate impacts I see around the world as a climate strategist happening here at home," Christensen said. "So I created the Sun Valley Forum, where we could bring together our global community to help to inform our local community and uplift local voices who want to lead in climate solutions and make us more resilient to climate impacts.

"There's a community of people who really care here. ... Why wouldn't we all want to roll up our sleeves and be part of building this better future together?"

The first talk on July 17 was titled "Restoring Our Harmony with Nature: Leading for Rivers, Salmon, Energy and People'' by Wheeler, of the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee. Wheeler was also the executive producer of "Covenant of the Salmon People," a documentary that highlights the tribe's vow to protect Chinook salmon by leading the efforts to breach the four Lower Snake River dams.

Wheeler's talk discussed the importance of preserving land and his culture through protecting salmon. He said his culture and salmon cannot exist without each other. He said it's important to listen to and uplift indigenous voices in the fight against climate change.

When discussing the 2022 release of his film, Wheeler said, "I have to say, when is enough, enough? We have turned as many dials for salmon recovery as we are capable of doing."

He continued: "Our back is against the wall. We need to turn some of the larger dials, and some of the larger dials include dam breaching. Now, more than ever, our voice needs to be amplified for salmon and for the rest of the environment. We will never forget our covenant with the salmon."

Later on July 17, NBC climate reporter Chase Cain interviewed Henk Rogers, founder of the nonprofit Blue Planet Alliance. Henk discussed how a near-death experience drove him to dedicate his life to end the use of carbon-based fuels.

Blue Planet Alliance works to help island nations in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea reach 100% renewable energy and carbon neutrality. The nonprofit uses Hawaii's plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2045 as a model and aims to create systems that uplift islands' abilities to provide for themselves with domestically created energy.

The forum also saw the Global Warming Mitigation Project announce the 10 winners of its annual Keeling Curve Prize.

This prize honors climate organizations worldwide that have shown exceptional innovation and commitment to addressing climate change in their respective fields. The prize pool was $500,000, and each winner received $50,000.

In a statement to the Express, Global Warming Mitigation Project spokesperson Lindsay Koser said, "This year's winners are recognized for innovations such as carbon capture equipment for cargo ships, rainwater harvesting in Mexico, carbon removal through enhanced rock weathering in the tropics, and more."

The winners were announced on the opening night of the forum. They included the carbon-sequestration organizations BIOSORRA and InPlanet; energy companies Climatenza Solar and SOLshare; conservation finance organizations Blue Forest and Climatize; rainforest protection nonprofit Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance; rainwater harvesting company Isla Urbana; curbside electric-car-charging company itselectric; and Seabound, a company installing carbon-capture systems on marine shipping vessels.