Vancouver, British Columbia – With the world watching Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics, global civic and business leaders focused on urban sustainability will convene in Vancouver from February 15 – 17 at the Carbon War Room’s Green Capital – Global Challenge conference. The purpose of the conference is to bring together scalable and replicable opportunities for how cities can reduce their carbon emissions.
The Carbon War Room harnesses the power of entrepreneurs to implement market-driven solutions to climate change. At the kick off to the Green Capital – Global Challenge, leaders will discuss mobilizing capital and resources to put in place and finance energy efficiency programs in cities at a scale that meets emissions reductions targets. This will also benefit residents and businesses in terms of economic development, jobs and reduced energy costs.
“I am excited to welcome these global civic and business leaders to Vancouver,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. “These meetings are an opportunity for civic leaders to find the market ready solutions they need to improve the energy efficiency of their cities.”
“The Carbon War Room has gathered over 100 attendees, including business leaders, financiers, sustainability directors and mayors from over twenty cities on four continents around the world to help lay the foundation for cities to improve their built environments, primarily through retrofits,” said José María Figueres, Chairman of the Carbon War Room and former President of Costa Rica.
“Vancouver provides us with the starting point to show how cities can work together with businesses to be more sustainable. Coming out of these meetings, we aim to develop a scalable program,” said Sir Richard Branson, Co-Founder of the Carbon War Room. “I am looking forward to this event. Mayors are the entrepreneurial CEOs of the civic world and the time for global civic and business leaders to act is now.”
Vancouver has earned the distinction of being ranked among the greenest cities in the world. The city has the lowest per capita emissions of any North American city at 4.6 tonnes, and is on track to meet its Kyoto target of a six per cent reduction below 1990 emission levels. Vancouver is also expected to have the strongest economic growth of any Canadian city in 2010, with an increase in GDP of 4.5 per cent.
For more information on Sir Richard and President Figueres, or to learn more about the Carbon War Room, please contact Alexander Hasslacher at +44 (0) 1628 601 417 or [email protected]
About the Carbon War Room
The Carbon War Room harnesses the power of entrepreneurs to implement market-driven solutions to climate change. The War Room’s unique approach focuses on bringing together successful entrepreneurs, business leaders, policy experts, researchers, and thought leaders to focus on market-driven solutions.
About CSA
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