Floods, Heat Waves, Energy Shocks: Transatlantic (Urban) Pathways to Resilience

It is our pleasure to invite you to our latest online event: Floods, Heat Waves, Energy Shocks: Transatlantic (Urban) Pathways to Resilience

Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Time: 17:30 – 19:00 CET

Location: Online Zoom Discussion

Welcoming Remarks from Consul General Pauline Kao, U.S. Consulate General Düsseldorf

Keynote Address from Ambassador Nina Hachigian, U.S. Special Envoy for Subnational Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State

An online discussion with:

Martin van der Pütten, Head of International Relations, City of Dortmund

Mayor Errick D. Simmons, City of Greenville, Mississippi

Lina Furch, Head of Department, European and International Affairs, Association of German Cities

Mayor Katie Rosenberg, City of Wausau, Wisconsin

Stefan Wagner, Head of Department, International Affairs and Global Sustainability, City of Bonn

Moderated by Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook, Senior Advisor, Bertelsmann Stiftung

Closing Comments, Peter Kurz, Former Mayor, City of Mannheim, Executive Board, Global Parliament of Mayors

Cities and regions are at the forefront of the current climate crisis. North Rhine-Westphalia is a key player in combating climate change and is strongly committed to sustainability and green initiatives. An active exchange between municipalities in Germany, but also with international partners, helps to define flexible, tailor-made and, above all, functional solutions that can be implemented in a practical and timely manner. The country’s partnership with the USA and many individual cities and municipalities in the United States, in particular, can help both sides to exchange experience and practical knowledge.

Against this backdrop, this high-profile panel discussion will discuss perspectives and innovative solutions on the following topics: Pragmatic solutions for climate change mitigation, the importance of city and subnational governance in accelerating change and disseminating best practices, and the benefits of direct collaboration between cities and municipalities in the US and Germany:

• How can climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions be best scaled, adapted, and transferred at the municipal and state levels with demonstrable results?
• What structures, i.e. networks or bilateral connections between NRW and the US, support this work and what institutional arrangements have proven viable? What support do the emerging networks need from whom to increase their effectiveness?
• How can national governments support the development of a knowledge base to improve local solutions and protect them from the impacts of changes in urban governance to achieve progress on climate change targets (under the SDGs)?
• How can subnational and urban perspectives be better brought to bear at the multilateral level?

Please find the registration link here

The event is part of the NRW-USA Year introduced by the government of North Rhine-Westphalia. The USA and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia have a long history of friendship and cooperation in business, science, education, and culture. With the NRW-USA Year, the state government wishes to honor and strengthen these close ties. For more information on the NRW-USA Year, please visit www.nrw-usa.nrw.