The two weeks of national-level negotiations in Paris will be crucial to setting an agenda for climate action: after all, COP21 is expected to attract nearly 50,000 participants, including 25,000 official delegates from government, intergovernmental organisations, UN agencies, NGOs and civil society. However, getting citizens together in their communities to discuss and live out positive actions to mitigate climate change is equally as important. Did you know that myriad alternative gatherings will be taking place alongside the official conference of the parties?
Climate Gatherings in Ontario
Several communities in Ontario are convening folks at friendly rallies and marches to demonstrate support for strong national leadership on climate change. Want to get out there and make your voices heard? Here are a few events coming up:
- Ecology Ottawa: 100% Possible Climate March: a family-friendly march from City Hall to the iconic Parliament Hill (participants will be bussing in from all over Ontario and Quebec). Sunday, November 29. Ottawa, ON.
- Toronto People’s Assembly on Climate Justice: this gathering will bring together a diverse group of organizations, activists, and anyone interested in discussing community-based responses to climate change. Saturday, November 28. Toronto, ON.
- Hamilton2Paris March and Rally: an invitation to Hamiltonians to get together to promote citizen engagement, environmental awareness, and to show our leaders that we care and are watching what’s happening at COP21. Sunday, November 29. Hamilton, ON.
Sustainable Innovation Forum
Business-minded students may be interested in the Sustainable Innovation Forum, happening in Paris December 7-8 as part of COP21. As the largest business-focussed climate change event, the Forum will bring together global business leaders to catalyze cross-sector partnerships and accelerate low-carbon innovation. On the agenda: carbon markets and pricing, low-carbon city policies, decarbonizing energy supply, and funding tools for energy alternatives. Have a look at a short video some of the highlights from last year’s Sustainable Innovation Forum in Peru to get you excited about what business leaders will be discussing this year.
The People’s Climate Forum
Alongside the official COP21 meetings in Paris, citizens are convening their own People’s Climate Summit in Montreuil, just outside of Paris, December 5-6. Happening alongside the official COP21 meetings, this Summit will bring together active members of civil society for different forms of discussion and knowledge-sharing with a focus on concrete alternatives to our ways of life in the face of climate change.
If your class is keen on dissecting climate change policies, they might be interested in holding their own “Mini Climate Summit” where students take on different perspectives and debate some of the key climate change issues affecting our everyday lives, for example what responsibilities more developed countries should take on depending on their resources and how much they contribute per capita to global emissions.
Resources:
- CBC’s The Current recently shared a feature on pre-talks leading up to COP21. Find out what our new Prime Minister Trudeau, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change (Catherine McKenna), and Foreign Affairs Minister (Stéphane Dion), are saying.
- Here are ten short videos (in French) to help you understand climate change.
- Find great infographics about climate change and business at the COP21 website.
- For an overview of climate change priorities that Canada should be taking action on, Clean Energy Canada has plenty of digestible information, including reports, webinars, and analytical pieces. Read A Clean Energy Agenda for Canada to start.
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