• by Larissa Faw , July 8, 2014

The battle against global warming has a new advocate. Havas PR is launching Havas Worldwide Climate Practice to provide strategic consulting, communications advice and campaign mobilization to clients on climate change issues. 

"For many global corporations and entities, one of the biggest challenges is finding a cohesive global network of skilled climate change communicators," says John Casey, executive vice president Havas PR New York Office. "And as has been demonstrated by our work, the Havas Worldwide Climate Practice now brings together experts around the world to provide strategic consulting, communications advice and campaigns for clients on climate change issues."

Pete Bowyer, former spokesman to H.E. Kofi Annan, will lead the practice, reporting to Marian Salzman, CEO of Havas PR North America. 

The Havas Worldwide Climate Practice will have three regional hubs: London (covering EMEA), New York City (covering the Americas) and Sydney (covering APAC). Casey will run the Americas hub; James Wright, who leads Havas’ engagement with WWF in Australia, will lead the APAC hub; Bowyer will operate the London office.

Then, additional climate change experts will support the hubs from more than a dozen countries, including Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Poland, South Africa and UAE, to serve the leading geopolitical centers of influence. 

“There is real momentum developing across the world as a new global agreement on climate change approaches at the UN Paris Conference next year,” said Bowyer. “It’s a top priority of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the IMF and the World Bank, and world leaders are beginning to face up to the greatest global challenge of our age. But business and civil society have key roles to play, as well. "The Havas Worldwide Climate Practice will ensure that their voices are a critical part of that conversation, too.”

Havas has been working with the United Nations Foundation Climate Change Project," Casey noted.  "Climate change is real and happening now. As entities like the World Bank, IMF and the United Nations Secretary General make climate change a top priority, businesses and other organizations are following their lead. The worldwide Havas Climate Practice will help enable these entities to tell their stories about how they are working to address climate change."