A gathering involving a substantial and varied group of interested parties, including some Canadian politicians and stakeholders, is meeting all this week in New York City.
The week long series of events coincides with the major political gathering at the U.N.’s General Assembly.
I reached Erin Flanagan in Ottawa. She is the Programme Director, Federal Policy with the Pembina Institute, a non-profit group advocating for clean energy policies. She left to join the event in New York immediately following our conversation.
It’s being billed as the first major gathering of international climate leaders since the US announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, although Canada hosted a major international gathering just last weekend also co-hosted by China and the European Union.
That meeting involved high level politicians.
Nevertheless, the gathering in New York City will bring together significant numbers of influential businesses and political leaders from various levels of governments to discuss climate issues, technological innovations, and a variety of strategies and business possibilities in relation to climate goals.
The theme is “‘Innovation. Jobs. Prosperity” and highlight the on-going and growing role that non-state actors play in implementing the Paris Accord
It takes place at the same time as the General Assembly where French President Daniel Macron will speak this week. Macron is expected to deal with climate in his speech, possibly announcing a major gathering in Paris later this year on the second anniversary of the Paris Climate Accord.
Erin Flanagan says there are expectations he may also make an appeal for a more wide reaching global accord that would include such concerns as diminishing bio-diversity.
Both events are taking place even as unusually powerful storms batter the Caribbean, and southwest USA, and deadly typhoons have struck parts of Asia.
Flanagan notes that although climate change can’t be directly pointed to as the cause of these many huge storms, it certainly plays a role and is providing impetus for people and governments to move ahead on climate issues.
Additional information
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.