Recent extreme weather events and their impact on cities have made the discussion around reducing carbon emissions more important than ever. Finding climate change solutions is the focus of the 2023 Livable Cities Forum, a gathering of climate leaders taking place later this month at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga. The annual, three-day event, happening September 25-27, welcomes more than 250 global delegates from different levels of government, community partners and local agencies, industry leaders, post-secondary institutions, health agencies and climate change experts.
The forum provides an opportunity to exchange ideas, share knowledge and insights and look for tangible solutions to lower carbon emissions while building resilient and inclusive communities.
“Our climate is changing rapidly and its effects will forever alter how we live. We must work together to curb the negative impacts and create a healthy and sustainable future for all,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “Mississauga is grateful to host this year’s Livable Cities Forum and welcome the many distinguished climate change and environment professionals and delegates from around the world, representing hundreds of industries and sectors. We are proud to be one of the many Canadian municipalities participating in the Forum, and look forward to sharing our experiences while listening to the expertise of others in understanding and developing climate change solutions.”
This year’s theme focuses on “Intention to Implementation,” transitioning to resilient, equitable, livable, and sustainable communities. The Forum is in partnership with ICLEI Canada and the Canadian Urban Institute.
Overarching themes of the Forum include:
1) Accelerating local transition towards a net-zero future
2) Adapting communities to climate change and building resilience
3) Prioritizing equity, inclusion and meaningful engagement
A key focus of the Living Cities Forum is gaining insights, knowledge and a deeper understanding of climate solutions, actions and resilience initiatives at the local level. In addition to speakers, the Forum also features workshops, plenaries and networking sessions. Organized study tours around Mississauga will showcase how cities can increase the pace and scale of implementation of energy transitions and how to approach climate action to increase engagement, motivation and implementation.
“The overarching themes of the forum align with the climate change work happening around our city,” said Dianne Zimmerman, Manager, Environment at the City of Mississauga. “Mississauga is working towards ambitious climate goals with deep emissions reductions targets, as well as preparing the community for the effects of a changing climate. As a large urban city, we’re committed to becoming one of Canada’s first net-zero cities. We’re embracing diversity, equity and inclusion as core principles of climate action to build more resilient and livable communities and we’re actively working with different levels of government, local corporations, non-profit organizations, community partners and residents to collaborate on action”
The U.N. has already warned about the world entering an era of global boiling, as scientists confirmed that July was Earth’s hottest month on record – including, the three hottest days on record and the highest-ever ocean temperatures for this time of year.
The Forum comes as the City of Mississauga is updating its Climate Change Action Plan to set more ambitious targets aligned with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) recommendations to limit global warming to 1.5 per cent Celsius. The City’s Climate Change Action Plan is a 10-year road map for tackling the impacts of the changing climate. It sets out actions to reduce GHG emissions and help the City increase its resiliency to withstand and respond to current and future climate events.
For further information on the Livable Cities Forum, visit LivableCitiesForum.com.
Background
About Livable Cities Forum
The Livable Cities Forum is ICLEI Canada’s annual event to bring local leaders, urban professionals and on-the-ground practitioners from across Canada and around the globe together.
About ICLEI
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in more than 125 countries, they influence sustainability policy and drive local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development. The Members and team of experts work together through peer exchange, partnerships and capacity building to create systemic change for urban sustainability.
