While climate change disproportionately affects low-income communities and other disadvantaged groups, climate investments often fail to benefit all residents alike. In fact, climate mitigation strategies, plans, and actions have traditionally prioritized greenhouse gas reduction, while oftentimes neglecting social equity in their design and implementation. At times, economic measures even increase the burden of communities living in poverty.
This session focuses on aligning subnational climate mitigation efforts with social equity priorities, with a special focus on addressing challenges like fair and equitable resource distribution and benefits allocation while continuing to ensure GHG reduction goals.
First, we present overarching climate mitigation strategies and programs to be developed or revised with social equity in mind. What do their development and revision processes need to look like, and what frameworks have proven beneficial to ensure that the needs of disadvantaged groups are incorporated and not only included as an afterthought?
The second part of the session delves into the nitty-gritty of concrete climate actions and explores how these can be designed and implemented equitably. Participants will better understand how to empower disadvantaged communities to adopt climate-friendly behaviors thereby ensuring these households benefit from related subsidies.
Speakers:
- Deepa Vedavyas, Director of Resiliency and Sustainability NOPEC, Ohio, United States
- Lena Völlinger, Climate Protection Coordinator, City of Ludwigsburg, Germany
- Leonardo Madeira, Environmental Analyst and Coordinator of Agenda 2030, City of Teresina, Brazil
- María Pilar Bueno, Undersecretary Climate Change and Ecological Transition, City of Rosario, Argentina
- Ola Nord, Head Of Malmö EU Office City of Malmö, Sweden
Moderator:
Matthew Bach, Head of Justice, Equity & Democracy, ICLEI European Secretariat
Roundtable facilitators:
Björn Ahaus, Project Manager Green Capital Agency, City of Essen, Germany
Annika Dörrhöfer, Intern Circular Development, ICLEI World Secretariat
Carsten Rothballer, Head of Sustainable Energy Systems, ICLEI European Secretariat
Magash Naidoo, Head Circular Development, ICLEI World Secretariat
Olga Horn, Senior Officer Circular Development, ICLEI World Secretariat
