Montreal is set to host a major climate conference that should allow Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) member countries to better understand and document the risks, challenges and solutions related to climate change in urban areas.
The discussions will be had at the Innovate4Cities conference in downtown Montreal this week.
“We want governments to have access to the best science to inform cities about what they need to do to protect people from the risks and impacts of climate change,” said IPCC representative Winston Chow, who will attend the conference on Tuesday.
Chow is co-leading the production of the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, which is scheduled to be release in the spring of 2027.
“This is a critical report for the 195 countries that make up the IPCC and this conference in Montreal will help produce the report because it brings together many of the important stakeholders who can explain what specific actions can work, what factors can facilitate action and what the barriers are.”
In addition, Chow explained to The Canadian Press that this conference is attended by mayors, researchers, entrepreneurs, and municipal officials who can help “structure a significant part of the work that will be in the special report on climate change and cities.”
Montreal has shown “climate leadership”
If Montreal is hosting this conference, “it is because the city has shown considerable climate leadership,” said Chow.
“The mayor has been proactive in making commitments to reduce emissions and also in developing the sponge city concept that helps reduce flood risks,” explained the IPCC representative.
He added that Montreal has many green spaces that help reduce the negative effects of heat waves caused by climate change.
Between 300 and 400 participants from cities around the world will be present at a hotel in downtown Montreal this week and many will participate virtually.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante will attend the event which takes place from Tuesday to Thursday.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, she explained that the Innovate4Cities Conference will be an opportunity to network, strengthen ties and exchange best practices for combating and adapting to climate change.
“We have a lot to learn from colleagues elsewhere in the world, and colleagues elsewhere in the world have a lot to learn from us,” because “in the city of Montreal, we have become experts in sponge parks, in water squares” and “now we see how that contributes to reducing the consequences of climate change,” said Plante.
The climate change adaptation measures in “the Montreal Climate Plan, which also inspires other cities in Quebec,” and the objective to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in buildings by half before 2030, are examples of initiatives that the City’s representatives intend to share with the other participants, explained Plante.
“Obviously, we need major agreements between countries because pollution and climate change have no borders,” said the Montreal Mayor, referring to the COP (Conference of the Parties) on biodiversity and climate, but, she specified, that we can’t neglect the importance of events that give a voice to municipal elected officials, because “cities have a great capacity for mobilization and to implement concrete actions.”
The Innovate4Cities Conference is co-organized by the Global Mayors Covenant on Climate and Energy (GMCC) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews