| Christopher Robert Spence | |
|---|---|
| Chris Spence in Hyde Park | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 June 1970 Bingley, United Kingdom |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Profession | Journalist, Writer |
Chris Spence (born June 1970) is a minor award winning New Zealand journalist of English origins whose research into global warming was published in a 2005 book entitled Global Warming: Personal Solutions for a Healthy Planet (ISBN 1403966982 ).
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Spence was born and grew up in Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. His family moved to Wellington, New Zealand when he was 12. In New Zealand, Spence attended Wellington College and Victoria University of Wellington and graduated with BA and MA degrees in political science and history.[1][2]
In the 1990s, Spence worked as a political researcher, speechwriter, journalist and lobbyist in New Zealand. In addition, he led two popular Wellington covers bands with his partner and his brother, performing lead vocals. In 1996, Spence became the youngest ever Director of the New Zealand Drug Foundation, a public health advocacy/lobby group, leading intensive communications and public relations work, policy development and political lobbying on behalf of the drug and alcohol sector (taking a public health perspective). This involved developing media campaigns, being a public spokesperson, and leading the development of research-based advocacy work. He also co-hosted a successful drug education conference and launched a popular website.[3] He left after 18 months. In 1998, he left New Zealand to travel. After spending time in New York, Spence's focus shifted to international diplomacy, particularly United Nations negotiations on climate change and other environmental law issues. In September 2005, Spence authored the book Global Warming: Personal Solutions for a Healthy Planet.[4] The book drew from Spence's experiences with the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and took issue with some of the policies of the Bush Administration on climate change.
Spence has also been published in the American British Business Magazine,[5] the New York Daily News,[6] and Discover magazine.[7]
Chris Spence led the Earth Negotiations Bulletin team to United Nations climate change negotiations from 1999–2002, and again in 2005 (Montreal, Canada), 2006 (Nairobi, Kenya), 2007 (Bali, Indonesia) and 2008 (Poznań, Poland).
He is married with two sons.