Western Climate Initiative hires Executive Director

This past week the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) announced Anita Burke will serve as its first Executive Director.

The WCI consists of California and several Canadian provinces that are coordinating to establish a North American carbon market.

Burke has a respected background in the field of climate change.

After serving with Shell oil to improve sustainability, Burke founded The Catalyst Institute in 2003. The Catalyst Institute is a think-tank focusing on the effects of climate change on businesses and other institutions such as universities and the government.

California begins its carbon market January 2013 and Quebec is hopeful that it will have its own rules in place to launch the WCI market by then.