Rapid decarbonization is essential, but we must do it in a way that restores and protects nature worldwide, and ensures that no one is left behind.

Climate Caucus policies are informed by The Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In June 2021, scientists from the IPBES & IPCC came together and found:

“The evidence is clear: a sustainable global future for people and nature is still achievable, but it requires transformative change with rapid and far-reaching actions of a type never before attempted, building on ambitious emissions reductions. Solving some of the strong and apparently unavoidable trade-offs between climate and biodiversity will entail a profound collective shift of individual and shared values concerning nature – such as moving away from the conception of economic progress based solely on GDP growth, to one that balances human development with multiple values of nature for a good quality of life, while not overshooting biophysical and social limits.”

Does your municipality have a Biodiversity Action Plan? Interested in learning more? Please get in touch.

CONNECT WITH FELLOW CC MEMBERS ON ZOOM!

Our monthly elected and all-caucus zoom calls are on summer break! See you in September.

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About

Climate Caucus (CC) is a non-partisan network of 400 local elected climate leaders driving system change to transform our communities in ten years.

Collectively, we create and implement socially-just policy which aligns IPCC and IPBES science.

Climate Caucus serves as:

a meeting place for elected representatives to connect
a collective force to advocate at the provincial, territorial and federal levels of government
a centralized location for municipal climate action & policy throughout Canada

Our network currently includes more than 400 councillors, mayors, and regional directors throughout Canada - and our membership grows daily. We invite elected leaders from rural areas, townships, Indigenous communities and cities of all sizes to join our network.

Our content-specific working groups unite NGOs, academia, volunteers and local policymakers to define problems and design solutions through regular online engagement.

Local action matters

Not only are municipalities on the front lines of climate change (floods, droughts, landslides, forest fires, heat waves, water shortages), importantly, local governments directly influence about half of Canada’s energy use & emissions. Municipalities can move far more quickly than other levels of government, which is critical during this decade of transformation.

Climate justice

Social injustice can manifest at the community level in the forms of exclusion, racism, food & housing insecurity, poorer health outcomes, gender-based violence, homelessness, the overdose crisis, and poverty. Due to existing structural inequities, climate change impacts are not experienced equally (on the local and global level). Additionally, climate policy can unintentionally reinforce and exacerbate existing inequities, so it’s critical that all climate-related policy be viewed through a social justice framework. Climate Caucus has partnered with University of Victoria to develop and pilot a systems-based framework in 2021.

Emissions in Canada

Up to half of Canada's carbon pollution is influenced by local policy decisions. (source: FCM)

Members

We are nearly 400 strong and growing. From coast to coast to coast, rural to urban, our members include local elected councillors, mayors and area/regional directors. Collectively, we represent millions of constituents who recognize the magnitude of the crises we face and are demanding socially-just climate action that aligns with science.

We are committed to building government to government relationships with Indigenous nations and support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as the framework for reconciliation, consistent with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

Our members are supported by a coalition of volunteers representing environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs), non-profits, academia, and grassroots climate organizers.

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