Dear ICLEI Members, Partners, and Friends,
The COVID-19 pandemic has touched us all. To those of you personally affected, please know that our thoughts are with you and we are here to support you in any way we can during this difficult time. Our offices across Canada have closed, and staff are working from home. We know many of you are in the same situation, while others may be re-deployed or temporarily laid-off. While we are currently focused on getting through this trying time, we are also reflecting on the longer term impacts and lessons we can draw from this experience, so we can rebound and become stronger, greener, more resilient, and more equitable. We’ve called this newsletter the Stronger Together Issue, because that’s what we are – stronger together.
Forward Together: The Adaptation Changemakers Project
Over the past two years, ICLEI Canada has been working with eight municipalities in three different provinces across Canada to increase community resilience to the impacts of climate change. These municipalities served as the conveners of broader community processes to assess climate risks and vulnerabilities, identify adaptation actions, and set the stage for implementation of short, medium, and long-term resilience initiatives. While the process was built on our Building Adaptive and Resilient Communities (BARC) Framework, each community tailored their climate impacts and actions to reflect the unique fabric of their communities and cross-sectoral implementing partners. With technical guidance from ICLEI staff and Regional Experts, participating municipalities have made massive strides in advancing their resilience.
With the Adaptation Changemakers project coming to a close, we would like to invite our network to read and explore our project outputs!
SHOWCASING LEADERSHIP
Back in January, 25 Canadian cities got together in Montreal to collaborate on their Showcase Cities project work, a cohort led by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) Canada. Since then the cities have been working hard on their climate mitigation and adaptation activities, gearing up for reporting to GCoM in the fall. We’ve had the pleasure of working with these cities on bi-monthly themed webinars and through one-on-one discussions. The project is the first pilot of GCoM in Canada – a collaboration between FCM, ICLEI Canada, the Global Covenant of Mayors Secretariat and the International Urban Cooperation Project supported by funding from the European Union.
how do you measure that?
Do you wonder how to measure the impact of your emission reduction projects? Help is on the way! Our Guidebook on Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Reductions at the Project Levels explains how to quantify energy savings and GHG emission reductions from municipal energy efficiency and climate change projects. It’s a product of the ICLEI Canada and FCM Partners for Climate Protection Program. (French resource coming soon!)
tOGETHER FOR CLIMATE – WEBINAR SERIES
As part of the Together for Climate project, ICLEI Canada is hosting an interactive webinar series from June 1 – 4, 2020 that will explore various elements of successfully implementing adaptation actions. Participants will have an opportunity to deep dive into subject matter led by adaptation experts from across Canada and work hands-on with a suite of tools to help ensure the longevity of adaptation actions, secure necessary resources, and communicate their community’s successes. Sessions include:
- Working Together: Advancing Climate Adaptation Through Strategic Partnerships | June 1, 10:00-11:30 am PT
- Having the Climate Conversation – Getting the Message Out and Inspiring Change | June 2, 10:00-11:00 am PT
- Who Pays the Bill? Financing Adaptation Actions | June 3, 10:00-11:30 am PT
- You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure – Establishing Monitoring Frameworks for Adaptation | June 4, 10:00-11:30 am PT
Click here for more program details, including how to register for one or more of our exciting webinars!
call for candidates
Are you an ICLEI member and interested in becoming more involved in our governance? Every three years ICLEI Members come together to elect the future leadership of the organization. We invite you to express your interest via the Call for Candidates. We are happy to discuss any inquiries.
Let’s Start Something new
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Photo Credits: Photo of person walking on road by Leo Cardelli from Pexels, lens ball on ground by Mac Mullins from Pexels, blue jeans by VisionPic.net