1.5 degrees Celsius is a vitally important figure. In the 2015 Paris Agreement, global leaders set a target to limit global warming and hold the overall global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. Ever since, city leaders in the C40 network have helped the world recognize that this target is not only essential, but possible—as long as we act quickly. C40 cities are demonstrating what ambitious action looks like and what a future looks like where everyone can thrive. In this episode, we will hear about the latest climate science, the most ambitious city-led climate action, and one of the youth voices demanding we move climate action forward now.
Featured in this episode: COP27 World Leaders Summit Opening Speech by Mia Mottley, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J0egwAfO0w
Featured guests:
Sir David King is the founder and chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group and is chair of the Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge University. He previously held the position of permanent Special Representative for Climate Change from September 2013 until March 2017. He was the UK Government's Chief Scientific Advisor from 2000 to 2007, during which time he was instrumental in creating the Energy Technologies Institute. Sir David has published over 500 papers on science and policy, for which he has received numerous awards. He holds 22 honorary degrees from universities around the world. Sir David was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1991, a Foreign Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2002 and was knighted in 2003.
Governing Mayor Raymond Johansen was elected to the City Council of Oslo in 2015. He was Secretary General in the Labour Party from 2009 to 2015 and served twice as State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also served as Vice Mayor of Transport and Environment in the City of Oslo from 1991–1995. Mayor Johansen has extensive international experience, and has been Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Head of department in the Norwegian agency for International Development and Chargé d’Affaires at the Norwegian Embassy in Eritrea. Governing Mayor Johansen’s article, “Oslo is Demonstrating Ambitious Leadership through its Climate Budget,” was published in the first issue of the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy and can be read online.
Zainab Waheed is a youth climate activist from Pakistan. She is currently doing her AS Levels from the Lahore Grammar School Islamabad and has been representing Pakistan internationally at COP26 and COP27. Zainab believes that climate change is a social injustice issue, which requires each one of us to demand climate justice, finance, and accountability. Zainab’s article, “Accountability is Imperative to Keeping the Vision of 1.5°C Alive
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 Calli Elipoulos and Peggy Whitfield.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music is by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/