Calgary Climate Week launches with talks on net-zero future
Six-day sustainability event June 1–6 features free symposium, speakers, and tours exploring climate tech and solutions.
Calgary's first Climate Week launches June 1 with a full slate of community events, talks, and tours bringing together climate innovators, investors, business leaders, and policymakers to explore present and future climate solutions.
The centrepiece is the free Calgary Climate Symposium on June 4 and 5, open to the public with registration. The symposium features talks ranging from University of Calgary clinical associate professor Dr. Bhavini Gohel discussing reaching net-zero emissions in healthcare to City of Calgary program manager Jason Cameron's pitch for more "safe spaces" to test climate tech before public release.
The week opens June 1 with a reception at The Ampersand featuring a dance performance called Vines, created by Melanie Kloetzel, artistic director of dance theatre company kloetzel&co. Inspired by Indigenous beliefs about relationality, Vines invites dancers and audience to consider our relationship to plants — how a crawling vine can overtake an abandoned building.
Canadian journalist and author Chris Turner, who won the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing for his book How to Be a Climate Optimist, delivers a keynote presentation called "The Case for Climate Optimism," asking whether Calgary will continue to evolve beyond oil and gas and lead in renewable energy.
Climate Week also offers multiple ways to explore Calgary's infrastructure. The Hub & Spokes Bike Tour on June 4 inspired by Calgary Climate Hub provides a guided look at local climate work and innovation.
For folks interested in climate change solutions and innovations, Calgary Climate Week is a significant learning opportunity. More details at calgaryclimateweek.ca.