Cities Climate Action Summit 2024 – meet the speaker: Lauren Sorkin, Resilient Cities Network

What is the single most important action cities can take to address the climate crisis?

We’ve seen how the most successful resilience projects are developed with equity in mind and bring concrete co-benefits to the communities where they are implemented. That can look like investing in green, permeable schoolyards that absorb water, provide fresh air and relief during heatwaves, or it can look like renewable energy projects providing dependable access to electricity to communities that have been excluded. For cities to multiply their resilience efforts at scale, it is critical we exchange lessons learned, institutionalising leadership and best practices while building effective partnerships to finance and implement collective action.

BE PART OF CITIES CLIMATE ACTION SUMMIT 2024

Do you have an urban climate action story to tell at this year’s Cities Climate Action Summit? Find out how you can become a partner by contacting Carlota Da Veiga Pestana, or request an event information pack here.

Why has R-Cities become a partner of the Cities Climate Action Summit on 26-27 June? What are you personally most excited to learn or discuss?

We are proud to partner on the Cities Climate Action Summit, and this year climate finance is a priority for us, our member cities and CROs.

To navigate the polycrisis era, we have to anticipate risks, prepare for uncertainty and build collective capacity to address complex and interconnected challenges. That means lining up financing for preventative action before the unexpected strikes.

One of the initiatives I’m most excited to discuss in June is Global Risk and Resilience Fellowship, a partnership between R-Cities and Howden insurance group. This programme has placed five insurance professionals inside city administrations over the past year to amplify resilience-building climate finance solutions.

Could you share a specific example of a successful climate initiative in from the R-Cities network that you think others could learn from?

Glasgow was one of our five inaugural Global Risk and Resilience Fellowship partners in 2023. As part of the programme, Howden Scotland CEO Kenny Hogg worked directly with city leaders to expand financing for Glasgow’s £30bn “Greenpoint for Investment” portfolio of climate projects. We’re excited to continue growing this initiative and partner with 20 cities by 2025.

As part of the global Resilience for Communities programme, our team is working with eight climate-vulnerable communities in the US, UK and Malaysia to identify and assess climate risks. Through our engagement, we aim to co-design resilient infrastructure projects with residents’ buy-in throughout the process.