SmartCitiesWorld launches climate action summit

SmartCitiesWorld is launching a new event to help cities tackle climate change. The three-day Cities Climate Action Summit is being held as an in-person and virtual event between 18-20 April 2023.

It will convene expert speakers from cities from around the world and include a concurrent exhibition of climate solution providers.

Urban climate action

The need for urban climate action has never been so urgent and the summit aims to help cities understand the actions to take in three critical areas:

• Policy development
• Climate financing
• Technology deployment.

The Summit builds on SmartCitiesWorld’s ongoing work in this area. Since our launch in 2016, we have seen the impact of climate change move up cities’ agenda to becoming one of the most critical challenges that city leaders face today. Coverage in this area increased over the years to reflect the appetite for not just information on the subject but the need to help cities share best practice and ideas.

Cop26 Open Letter

In 2021, we further strengthened our position by publishing an Open Letter in the run-up to the Cop26 climate change conference in Glasgow based on 10 principles that we urged national and local leaders to embed in any agreements. It secured more than 400 signatures from representatives of cities, smart city technology providers, NGOs and universities and was delivered to Susan Aitken, council leader for Cop26 host city Glasgow. It was also sent to the Cop26 president, Alok Sharma, to ensure that the UK Presidency could see the principles ahead of the final agreement being reached.

At the start of 2022, we stated that the emphasis needed to switch from climate change to climate action. Our Climate Action campaign continued throughout 2022 with a series of special reports, case studies, podcasts, guest opinions and live panel sessions and culminated in the publication of the Cities Climate Action Report.

The substantive report takes a comprehensive look at the targets and priorities of 200 cities around the world, assessing their progress and ambitions, as well as their plans for spending and investment across a number of areas, including infrastructure and technology. It features in-depth data and original interviews with climate and resiliency leaders from 10 cities leading the charge against climate change.

The Cities Climate Action Summit marks the next and what we believe will be the most significant step yet in our efforts to help cities tackle this critical area. Speakers include:

• Jane Gilbert, chief heat officer, Miami-Dade County
• James Nowlan, executive director, environment & climate, City of Toronto
• Helene Chartier, director of urban planning and design, C40
• Maia Kutner, global director, Cities, states and regions, CDP
• Nicola Yates, CEO, Connected Places Catapult.

It kicks off as a virtual event on the 18 April with a keynote by Mami Mizutori, Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, followed by a packed day of panel discussions, fireside chats and virtual roundtables. The in-person event takes place on 19 April at London’s famous County Hall building on the River Thames. It will bring together 400 people to discuss the climate action in cities, focusing on renewables, net zero plans, and today’s urban greentech market, complete with leading keynotes and a State of the Nation address.

The London event will also play host to a series of break-out roundtable sessions each chaired by expert speakers from the day’s panels to take a deeper dive into the topics that are most important for delegates.

It concludes on 20 April with a final day of online content, featuring two more exclusive keynote speeches from different sectors within the urban landscape, live panel discussions, and a host of insightful case study presentations from both public and private organisations.

“The Summit will provide a holistic view of how urban climate action can be achieved at scale and we look forward welcoming more than 2,000 attendees across three days, both online and in person”

“The Cities Climate Action Summit aims to be different from traditional city events, seeking to uncover tangible solutions and an opportunity to see and hear the latest from leading policymakers, technologists and financiers to find out what is working and what is not working,” said Chris Cooke, founder and CEO of SmartCitiesWorld. “The Summit will provide a holistic view of how urban climate action can be achieved at scale and we look forward welcoming more than 2,000 attendees across three days, both online and in person.

“SmartCitiesWorld is committed to supporting cities on their journeys to net zero and sustainability by providing ongoing coverage and shining a light on the innovation that will unlock global and local solutions to tackle climate-related urban challenges.”

To view the full agenda and find out more, go to Cities Climate Action Summit.