2019 Ontario Climate Symposium

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The Ontario Climate Consortium (OCC) and Ryerson University are pleased to co-host the 7th Ontario Climate Symposium on May 1-2, 2019.

With the change of leadership in the province of Ontario, climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts have never been more pressing. This year’s Symposium aims to bring together municipal, provincial and federal leaders with researchers, practitioners and students to explore how collective, local action can achieve global impacts.

By examining the many ways of creating economic, environmental and social prosperity without exceeding planetary boundaries, the Symposium will highlight how leadership at the local level can help contribute to large, transformational shifts that align with global sustainable development goals.

The 2019 Ontario Climate Symposium will encourage the development of disruptive, innovative and collective visions and strategies that foster collaboration, environmental and social justice, and generate awareness of the need for a transformative cultural shift toward low carbon communities.

Within this overarching theme, we will organize the program around a set of sub-themes:

Employment, Equity and Sustainability in the Green Economy
Topics to include:

• Social and environmental justice
• Disruptive technologies and their role in sustainable, low-carbon futures
• Indigenous perspectives and worldviews on sustainable economies
• Achieving economic prosperity within global SDGs
• The role of decentralized services

Policy Options for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
Topics to include:

• The role private corporations/partners and municipalities can play
• Case studies/scenarios of low-carbon urban development and planning initiatives
• The role of consultation and engagement in the planning process
• Standards and best practices (building codes, development codes, policy, etc.)
• Cultural differences in policy development
• Re-naturalizing ecosystems for healthy wetlands
• Non-financial measurement and tracking strategies
• Financial and non-financial tools available to governments
• Taxation/accountability/transparency
• Coastal wetlands and Great Lakes policy (given the inevitability of climate change, how can we respond to existing problems and prospective future problems?)

Communication Strategies to Mobilize Action
Topics to include:

• Local research into motivators/barriers to action
• Measurement of household and neighbourhood-level carbon footprints
• Engagement strategies for building community cohesion and dialogue focused around identifying action areas
• Collaborative implementation of neighbourhood-scale initiatives
• Unique local circumstances that present opportunities for multiple shared benefits
• Community-based initiatives to climate change
• The role of consultation and engagement in the planning process

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL

Complete the Call for Proposals form below no later than 5:00 pm on March 1, 2019