Cities in Action: Bay Area Climate Change Summit

The Centre for Climate Change Management (CCCM) will host the Cities in Action: Bay Area Climate Change Summit from March 25 - March 29, 2019.

The largest event of its kind in the region, the Bay Area Climate Change Summit is a collaboration between the CCCM and the Bay Area Climate Change Office, the McMaster Centre for Climate Change, and Sustainable Hamilton Burlington.

The event is a chance to hear from community, national and international leaders who are taking action to tackle climate change and create opportunities locally. Attendees will learn about advancements in the fight against climate change in the areas of business and the economy, transportation and health, energy and community resilience. Participants will be inspired by concrete, tangible strategies they can employ in their organizations and in their day-to-day life.

The Summit will take place at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario, from March 25 to March 28. See below for the summit agenda and event highlights. More details are available at https://citiesinaction.mohawkcollege.ca/summit-agenda/. 

The Bay Area Climate Change Youth Summit will take place on Friday, March 29 at the McMaster Innovation Park at 175 Longwood Drive. “It’s Our future, It’s Our Opportunity” encapsulates the theme for the Youth Summit, which is the Bay Area’s first Climate Change Summit for youth. The Youth Summit will be an immersive, one-day experience with workshops focused on green jobs, protecting our built and natural environment, and building a climate-ready city.

Bay Area Climate Change Summit

Monday, March 25 - "Cities in Action – Climate Hope in Action"

FREE Public Launch Event at the Royal Botanical Gardens Auditorium at 680 Plains Rd W. Burlington.Come learn more about how our leading cities are taking action on climate change – in Canada and around the world. The keynote speaker for this event is Sweden's Åsa Karlsson Björkmarker. Asa is Chair of ICLEI Europe, former Deputy Mayor of Växjö, a Swedish city awarded “Greenest City in Europe”. Asa will be talking about how European cities are addressing climate change, striving for carbon neutral and implementing innovative adaptative technologies. A second, to-be-confirmed, speaker will provide the Canadian overview of progress in our leading cities.

DAY 1: Tuesday, March 26 - Climate and the Economy

Day One will feature some of Canada’s and the Bay Area’s leading thinkers and companies to explore the relationship between climate change and the economy, new innovation and real action being taken to build the economy while transitioning to a cleaner future.

Here is a taste of what to expect, and a few of our speakers. More details are available on our website at citiesinaction.mohawkcollege.ca/.

Keynote Speaker - Glen Hodgson, International Economist and ConsultantGlen will speak on climate and the economy.

Glen Hodgson has 36 years of experience in global and Canadian macro-economics, international trade analysis and finance, fiscal and tax policy, and other “big picture” topics. Glen’s career has spanned the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C., the Canadian Department of Finance, Export Development Canada (EDC), and the Conference Board of Canada, where he was Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist for 12 years. He recently joined the C.D. Howe Institute as a Senior Fellow, and International Financial Consulting Ltd. as a Senior Associate. He is a member of the Ecofiscal Commission; a Fellow with the Public Policy Forum; and is represented by Speakers Spotlight.

Glen has travelled the world and Canada as an economic policy analyst, public speaker, financial negotiator, and advisor to governments, businesses and international organizations.

Topics of expertise and interest include: Canadian, U.S. and global economic performance; globalization and trade; disruption; international finance; managing catastrophic risk; the emerging low-carbon economy; fiscal and tax policy; and the business economics of sports. His most recent assignments were: the legislative review of EDC; and a briefing series on green finance.

Glen has co-authored two books and written over 375 reports, briefings and articles, with regular commentary in the Globe and Mail. He has delivered many presentations to audiences of all types and sizes, and done numerous media interviews via print, TV, radio and social media.

Other Speakers and Topics for Tuesday include:

Melissa Mirowski, Head of Sustainability, Ikea CanadaMelissa will speak on the Circular Economy.

Drew Hauser, Director, McCallum Sather Architects and Tony Cupido, Research Chair in Sustainability at Mohawk.Drew and Tony will talk about Climate Innovation and Technology in the building industry.

For a complete list of topics and speakers visit https://citiesinaction.mohawkcollege.ca/summit-agenda/. 

To register visit: https://citiesinaction.mohawkcollege.ca/registration/

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