Fighting for a Biodiverse Future: How Canadian climate leaders are preserving ecosystems from their own backyards

In a very Canadian episode of Cities 1.5, David discusses the urgent need for both local and global climate action with a focus on biodiversity with Mayor Valérie Plante of Montréal and Elizabeth Hendricks from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Canada. They share insights on urban biodiversity initiatives, the impact and outcomes of COP15 and COP16, and the importance of integrating nature-based solutions to combat the climate crisis. The episode also highlights the critical role cities play in preserving natural ecosystems, supporting public health, and ensuring a sustainable future where all can thrive.

Image Credit: Donovan Kelly @ Pexels

Featured guests:
Mayor Valérie Plante has served as the Mayor of Montréal since 2017.

Elizabeth Hendriks is a freshwater policy specialist and Vice President of Restoration and Regeneration at WWF Canada.

Links: 

WWF Living Planet Report 2024: A Planet in Crisis
Degradation of nature could reduce UK GDP by 12 per cent - UN Environment Programme
Last-minute pledges and sobering science: Where is the World, Post-COP28? Cities 1.5 podcast, featuring Professor Xuemei Bai
Arctic impacts: The human cost of melting ice - Cities 1.5 podcast, featuring Sheila Watt-Cloutier
COP15 ends with landmark biodiversity agreement - UN Environment Programme
The Darlington ecological corridor: a green link in CDN-NDG - City of Montréal
Video featuring Sadiq Khan, “Doers not Delayers” - C40 Cities Instagram
Montréal Breaks Ground on City’s Largest-Ever ‘Sponge Park’ - Stormwater Report
Montréal biodome
WWF Canada re:grow program
COP16 ends in disarray and indecision despite biodiversity breakthroughs - The Guardian
Freshwater

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website: https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and Cities 1.5 is supported by C40 Cities and the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy. You can sign up to the Centre newsletter here. https://thecentre.substack.com/

Our executive producers are Peggy Whitfield and Chiara Morfeo.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music is by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/