Crisis=Danger+Opportunity

The Chinese character for crisis contains both danger and opportunity.

Is the pandemic the turning point we need to address climate change, racism and inequality?

Read a Summary of the Series

April 20: The Post Pandemic Revolution – Rescheduled to June 1

Presenter: Senator Frances Lankin


April 27: Solved, How the Great Cities of the World are Fixing the Climate Crisis

Presenter: David Miller

David Miller

David Miller, Director of International Diplomacy for the C40 Climate Leadership Group and former Mayor of Toronto, will speak about the leadership of the Mayors of the world’s great cities on climate change. He will describe how lessons learned from dealing with the COVID pandemic are informing their actions, and how the actions of these leading cities– if done at scale– can get the world back on track to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the scientific urgency to do so.

See Biography: David Miller


May 4: Has Canada’s COVID Recovery Aligned with the Climate Emergency?

Presenter: Julia Levin, Program Manager, Climate and Energy, Environmental Defence

Julia Levin

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world last spring, Canada’s federal government has responded in myriad ways. Have the federal government’s responses strengthened climate action – or have they brought us further from the necessary transition to a green, climate-safe future? This conversation will unpack the federal government’s initiatives and support using a climate lens, and compare these actions to what the growing movement for a just and green recovery has demanded over the last year.  We will also explore the federal government’s climate-related policies that have been rolled out over the last year as well as what the pandemic has meant for the oil and gas industry in Canada. We’ll look at where we need to be, where we are compared to other countries, what the obstacles to action are, and how we can collectively advocate for more ambitious climate action.

See Biography: Julia Levin


May 11: Smart, Sustainable Infrastructure to Support a Greener Economy

Presenter: Neetika Sathe, Vice President of the Green Energy and Technology Centre at Alectra Inc.

Neetika Sathe

Alectra is a leading electric utility providing electricity distribution and integrated energy solutions to over one million customers in Ontario. The energy industry, just like many other industries, is being bombarded with innovation, change, and a growing focus on sustainability. There is a greater need now, more than ever before, for people, organizations, and governments to come together and to collaborate in order to build a better future. We need to harness value from the planet in a more sustainable way. There is a generational change and transformation happening in the world and there are emerging technologies to help us on our journey to become more sustainable. By leveraging new ways of thinking, using AI and big data, we can enable smart, sustainable communities with customer friendly energy solutions. Neetika will share examples of initiatives that the Alectra Green Energy and Technology Centre (GRE&T Centre) is embarking on in the energy sector to help build a better future.

See Biography: Neetika Sathe


May 18: The Anti-Black Racism Moment and the Fight for Economic, Racial and Climate Justice

Presenter: Professor Grace-Edward Galabuzi

Grace Edward Galabuzi

Professor Galabuzi will argue that even in this anti-Black racism moment, it is the framework of the ecological crisis that is the ‘meta’ crisis within which other crises can be understood and effectively confronted. The ecological crisis is deeply intertwined with the economic, racial and social crises that have preoccupied us in the past year. Climate justice is the meta narrative that links environmental justice, racial and economic justice.

See Biography: Professor Galabuzi


May 25: The Changing Nature of State Sovereignty After the Pandemic: The Movement of Power in a Globalized World

Presenter: Dr. Michael Johns

Michael Johns

The past year has presented the world with three crises that require global solutions: the pandemic, climate change and racism. For almost 400 years countries have been the primary structure in politics. The state had complete sovereignty and was responsible for the protection, economic well-being and freedoms of its citizens. In the globalized world of the 21st Century we need to re-examine the primacy of the state in the lives of citizens. This talk will examine how power is flowing from states and into other structures. The talk will focus both on the movement of power up into international organizations and multinational corporations but also down into sub-state governments, cities and individuals. The talk will conclude with a discussion of what this reality means for an international system that still is designed for countries and for the people affected by this new power structure.

See Biography: Dr. Michael Johns


June 1: The Post Pandemic Revolution

Presenter: Senator Frances Lankin

Frances Lankin

As the Pandemic continues to lay bare the gaps in health, social and economic policies, while at the same time propelling changes in the nature of work, many people world-wide are working to build momentum for a just and green recovery. What efforts are taking place here in Canada and how can we join such efforts to help make a difference?

Senator Frances Lankin will talk about the growing efforts for social change, in the House of Commons and the Senate, across national and provincial movements and local based initiatives. Spanning a range of topics such as reconciliation, anti-black racism, basic income, long term care and the future of workers in the post pandemic gig economy, the discussion will examine the contribution each of us can make to “building back better”.

See Biography: Senator Frances Lankin


Venue:   Zoom (Online)

Description:

You’ll receive the Zoom link from Canadian Webinar Solutions one week (and reminders one day and one hour) before the first session.