Climate Mayors Launch National Dialogue on Green and Equitable Recovery

The leadership series will feature conversations in regions across the U.S., highlighting how environmental initiatives will help stimulate local economies, create jobs, improve public health, and reduce carbon emissions in the wake of COVID-19

Read the top takeaways from the series.

Watch the Ohio Valley event’s full panel discussion.

Listen to the Great Lakes event’s full panel discussion.

Watch the Texas event’s full panel discussion.

 Watch the Southeast event’s full panel discussion.

JULY 14, 2020 – Today, Climate Mayors, the network of 453 U.S. mayors committed to upholding the Paris Climate Agreement, announced the Climate Mayors National Dialogue on Green and Equitable Recovery, a virtual speaker series advocating for national leadership to prioritize recovery policies that are environmentally sustainable and socially just in the time of COVID-19.

Each livestream event will feature members of Climate Mayors and other leaders from a specific U.S. region, and convene like-minded institutions, partners, and policy makers for a discussion about successful local climate initiatives, and how to drive a just, equitable, and resilient economic recovery. Climate Mayors and partners will also discuss the ways that their sustainability policies prioritize frontline communities and communities of color, who are more likely to be affected by pollution and the negative impacts of climate change.

“When the COVID-19 crisis ends, we have to heed the lessons of this moment in our recovery –– placing communities hit hardest by this pandemic on the path to a more just, sustainable, and healthy future,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Chair and co-founder of Climate Mayors. “Hailing from every part of the country, Climate Mayors are leading the response today and stand ready to pave the road ahead with climate action that boosts jobs, spurs equitable growth, delivers cleaner air, and lowers emissions for frontline families.”

The Climate Mayors National Dialogue on Green and Equitable Recovery will kick off later this month in the Southeast with a panel featuring Climate Mayors Steering Committee member Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Climate Mayors member Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Climate Mayors member Columbia Mayor Stephen Benjamin, and US Representative Kathy Castor from Florida’s 14th District and Chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, moderated by veteran journalist Tom O’Hara of The Invading Sea, a collaboration of 26 news organizations that cover climate change in Florida. Watch the full panel discussion. 

Events later in the summer and fall will feature Climate Mayors and partners from the Great Lakes region, Texas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. For more Information on the upcoming Climate Mayors livestream panel discussions, including dates and times as they are announced, please visit www.climatemayors.org.

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About Climate Mayors: Representing 72 million Americans from 48 states, Climate Mayors is a diverse network of 453 U.S. city leaders who have committed to fighting climate change. Originally founded in 2014, the network’s ranks swelled to almost 400 mayors in response to the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Climate Mayors commit to taking ambitious action to meet each of their cities’ current climate goals, while working together towards achieving our national Paris targets. Climate Mayors is founded and Chaired by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and Co-Chaired by Mayors Sylvester Turner (Houston) and Martin J. Walsh (Boston). For more information, please visit www.climatemayors.org.

Media Contact: Melody Meyer, mmeyer@bpimedia.com; Grace Hemming, ghemming@bpimedia.com