Event

#CEC28: Join the CEC’s Annual Council Session and JPAC Public Forum Virtually, 9-10 September 2021

Online

9 and 10 September, 2021

Public

2021 theme: ‘Climate Change and Environmental Justice Solutions’

The twenty-eighth Regular Session will convene North America’s environmental officials, the CEC Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC), Traditional Ecological Knowledge Expert Group (TEKEG), young innovators, and the public at large, offering numerous opportunities for public participation throughout the two-day session.

Celebrating a renewed commitment to North American cooperation on environmental action, the United States Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan, as Council Chair, will virtually host CEC Council representatives from Mexico and Canada at the 28th CEC Council Session on September 9–10, 2021. This year’s Council Session will be conducted virtually.

The Council meets each year to assess progress on environmental cooperation in North America, establish shared priorities, and meet with the public to discuss pressing environmental issues facing the region. This year’s Council Session will include a public meeting led by the Council on the theme of ‘Climate Change and Environmental Justice Solutions’, which will feature a Q&A session with the Council and invited experts as well as presentations by the winners of the CEC Youth Innovation Challenge.#CEC28 will also include a youth roundtable on ‘The Role of Youth in Ensuring Environmental Justice Through Responses to Climate Change.’

The public is invited to participate virtually in the following events:

  • September 9: A public forum of the CEC’s Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) focused on gathering public input on climate change and environmental justice issues. The JPAC forum “Leaving no one behind: working together for more equitable solutions to climate change impacts” will feature a trilateral expert panel and moderated Q&A.
  • September 9: A youth roundtable on ‘The Role of Youth in Ensuring Environmental Justice through Responses to Climate Change’. The public is invited to join the conversation and learn from North American youth on their approaches to building and advocating for solutions to climate change under the scope of environmental justice and inclusivity.
  • September 10: A Dialogue with the Council on Climate Change and Environmental Justice, and presentations by the North American winners of the CEC’s annual Youth Innovation Challenge.

#CEC28 will also feature a virtual exhibition highlighting the CEC’s renewed commitment to trilateral environmental cooperation, showcasing current and future work of the CEC to protect and enhance North America’s environment.

Participation at the 2021 CEC Council Session is free of charge.

Simultaneous interpretation in English, French and Spanish will be available.

Registrants will also be able to submit questions and comments for public sessions via Sli.do, using #CEC28 as the event code. Questions can be submitted up until the Council public session on September 10.

Agenda

Thursday, 9 September 2021

CEC Roundtable
The Role of Youth in Ensuring Environmental Justice through Responses to
Climate Change

The event will offer an intergenerational discussion on environmental justice and advocacy, and a facilitated a discussion about the key role that youth play in facilitating and ensuring environmental justice in North America. This event aims to empower North American youth to build and advocate for solutions to climate change under the scope of environmental justice, regardless of the community they are from.

Panelists will be asked to each take 5 minutes to present their perspectives on the role of youth in ensuring environmental justice through responses to climate change and will respond to a series of prepared questions from the public. At the end of the moderated discussion, there will be time for questions from the audience (through sli.do #CEC28).

10:00–10:10

Welcoming remarks

Michael S. Regan
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
10:10-10:15

Presentations by the CEC

  • Presentation of the agenda and logistics
  • Introduction of panelists
  • Introduction of keynote speaker and facilitator
10:15-10:30

Keynote presentation

History of advocacy, with a special focus on youth actions during the ’70s/’80s and connection between environmental justice and climate change.

Robert Bullard, PhD
Distinguished Professor, Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, Texas Southern University
Download Presentation

10:30-10:45

Presentations by panelists

Iman Berry
Cofounder, Green Ummah
Canada
Download Presentation

Eduardo Lezama
Education Coordinator, Re-Earth Initiative
Mexico
Download Presentation

Justin Onwenu
Inaugural Michigan Advisory Council on Environmental Justice and Black Leadership Advisory Council
United States

10:45-11:45

Facilitated discussion and question period

  • Facilitated discussion with prepared questions
  • Questions from the public
11:45-11:55

Roundtable discussion summary

Robert Bullard, PhD

11:55-12:00

Closing remarks by CEC

Thursday, 9 September 2021

JPAC Public Forum on Climate Change and Environmental Justice
Leaving no one behind: working together for more equitable solutions to climate change impacts

Climate change is impacting communities across North America, giving way to increased events such as flooding, coastal erosion, drought, fires, and heat waves, to name a few. However, not all communities are impacted equally. Vulnerable or historically marginalized communities and their residents are experiencing these impacts more severely due to their exposure and their ability to recover from them. Where they are situated and their residents’ health, diets, income, language barriers, and limited access to resources are all factors impacting their resiliency and are often the result of historical policies, programs, and development practices—resulting in inequalities strongly affecting housing, infrastructure, and political representation.

This JPAC forum will focus on potential solutions to increase the resilience of vulnerable or historically marginalized communities by incorporating social considerations in climate programs, housing and zoning policies, infrastructure initiatives, etc., and building partnerships with all stakeholders, including underrepresented groups. The forum will also highlight examples from communities and organizations coming together to find and implement equitable solutions to climate change impacts throughout North America, and how these examples could inform other North American communities.

13:00–13:10

Opening Remarks

Pedro Moctezuma
JPAC Chair

13:10–13:15

Welcoming Remarks

Richard Morgan
CEC Executive Director

13:15–13:35

Keynote Presentation: The many facets of climate change and environmental justice in North America

This presentation will provide an overall picture of climate change and environmental justice issues in Canada, Mexico and the United States and will set the stage for the following panel.

Leticia Merino Pérez, PhD
Researcher, Level III, Institute of Social Research, National Autonomous University of Mexico
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13:35–14:05

Panel discussion: Moving forward toward more equitable solutions to climate change: presentations by invited experts

Vulnerable and historically marginalized communities are more exposed and have greater difficulties recovering from climate change impacts. This panel will reflect on lessons learned from different initiatives and explore ways to reduce these inequalities in building more equitable solutions.

Robert H. Manson, PhD
National Investigator, Institute of Ecology (INECOL)
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Earthea Nance, PhD
Associate Professor, Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, Texas Southern University

Alexandra Harrington, PhD
Executive Director of the Center for Global Governance and Emerging Law, Research Director of the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law, and Vice-Chair of the Board of Women in Ethics and Compliance Global
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14:05–14:40

Moderated question and answer period with experts, JPAC members and virtual participants

Moderator: Robert W. Varney, JPAC member

14:40–14:50

Update on Submissions on Enforcement Matters

Paolo Solano
Director, Submissions on Enforcement Matters and Legal Unit
Download Presentation

14:50–14:55

Report from the National and Governmental Advisory Committee Representatives



14:55–15:00

Closing Remarks

Pedro Moctezuma
JPAC Chair

Friday, 10 September 2021

Council Public Meeting
Climate Change and Environmental Justice

In accordance with the Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (ECA) Article 3(4), the CEC Council shall hold public meetings in the course of all regular sessions. These public meetings have been held since 1995 and represent a unique opportunity for North American citizens to engage with senior environmental officials and learn about North American environmental collaboration in the context of free trade as well as share their views with the Council. This year’s public meeting will focus on “Environmental Justice and Climate Change Solutions”.

14:00–14:06

Welcoming remarks and introduction of video on CEC’s accomplishments

Richard Morgan
CEC Executive Director
14:06–14:18

Remarks by Council

14:18–14:51

Youth engagement in the CEC

14:51–15:36

Dialogue with the Council on Climate Change and Environmental Justice Solutions

Format of the public session by the JPAC Chair
Introduction of invited experts:

Tonio Sadik
Canada

Tzinnia Carranza López
Mexico

Gladys Limon
United States


Moderated exchange between Council, invited experts and the public (including Q & A with registered participants)
15:36–15:48

Council Announcements

15:48–16:00

Council Session Closing

Click here to download the complete program of public events.