This international virtual event hosted by IISD and Environment and Climate Change Canada is part of a series of initiatives under the Global Commission on Adaptation’s Nature-Based Solutions Action Track that Canada is co-leading with Mexico. The objective of the event is to profile Canada’s experience with Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for adaptation to a global audience and discuss successes, challenges, lessons learned and opportunities to shape Canada’s leadership in this area going forward.

The goal of the Nature-Based Solutions Action Track under the Global Commission on Adaptation is to demonstrate the significant potential of NBS, at scale, for adaptation and resilience. The Action Track will culminate in a summative event during the Climate Adaptation Summit, taking place on January 25, 2021.

Agenda

• Opening Remarks 
  • Jane McDonald, Facilitator, Executive Vice President of the IISD
  • Manitok Thompson, Indigenous Elder, Prayer and Blessing
  • The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada (video presentation) 
• Session 1: High-Level Panel on Canada’s challenges and successes in implementing NBS for adaptation 
  • Christine Hogan, Deputy Minister, Environment and Climate Change Canada
  • Kennedy Stewart, Mayor of Vancouver
  • Craig Stewart, Vice-President, Federal Affairs, Insurance Bureau of Canada
  • Eli Enns, President IISAAK Olam Foundation, Coordinator for North America of the Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Areas and Territories Consortium
  • AnnLisa Jensen, Councillor, Parkland County, Chair of the Environmental Issues and Sustainable Development Standing Committee for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
  • Dr. Richard Florizone, CEO and President of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) 
• Session 2: Indigenous and local leadership in Canada
  • Chaired by Niall O’Dea, Assistant Deputy Minister, Canadian Wildlife Service at Environment and Climate Change Canada
  • Steven Nitah, Northwest Territories Advisor for the Indigenous Leadership Initiative: Indigenous leadership in implementing NBS
  • Dr. Danika van Proosdij, St. Mary’s University: Implementation of Managed Realignment for Salt Marsh Restoration and Climate Change Adaptation  
  • Sarah Hanson, Regional Director North America, Youth4Nature 
  • Melina Scholefield, Green Infrastructure and Rain City Strategy, City of Vancouver: Adapting to precipitation change with NBS
• Q&A from the audience on Indigenous and local leadership in Canada
• Session 3: Approaches for financing and scaling up NBS
  • Chaired by Patricia Fuller, Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change
  • Martin Beaudoin Nadeau, Founder and CEO, Viridis Terra: Canadian clean-tech companies and the shift towards NBS and a greener economy
  • Paige Olmsted, Senior Research Associate, Smart Prosperity Institute: Key policy tools to support private and public investments
  • Tim Sopuck, CEO of the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation: Building the business case for natural infrastructure initiative at the provincial level 
  • Roy Brooke, Executive Director at Municipal Natural Assets Initiative: Supporting local governments in accounting for natural assets in their municipal financial planning 
• Q&A from the audience on financing and scaling up NBS projects
• Closing Remarks 
  • Youth Rapporteur, Ludmilla Ameur, Climate Change Adaptation Policy at Environment and Climate Change Canada, recipient of two ministerial awards 
  • The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities 

About the Global Commission on Adaptation

The Global Commission on Adaptation is a two-year initiative launched in October 2018 to catalyse a global movement to bring scale and speed to climate adaptation solutions. Under the leadership of Ban Ki-moon, the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF, the Commission released a flagship report in 2018, Adapt Now, calling for a shift in understanding, planning and financing adaptation. From this report, eight priority areas were identified and related action tracks established to scale up climate adaptation solutions and drive innovative thinking in the areas of Nature-Based Solutions, Food Security, Finance, Cities, Infrastructure, Locally-led Action, Water and Disaster Risk Management.

About Nature-Based Solutions Action Track and Climate Adaptation Summit

Through its NBS Action Track, co-led by Canada and Mexico, the Commission is bringing much-needed attention to nature’s largely untapped role in adaptation. Outcomes of the work under the NbS action track, including this event will be showcased at the Climate Adaptation Summit on January 25, 2021.