In this first episode we kick things off with the Special Envoy for Cities in CHAMP (the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships), Global Ambassador for the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, and former three-term mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, Gregor Robertson. We also have Professor Nicola Tollin, Chairholder and Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair on Urban Resilience at the University of Southern Denmark – perhaps more recently known for spearheading the research on the urban content of the nationally determined contributions (NDCs). These guests join hosts Ben Jance and Cathy Oke in the first episode of City Climate Innovation, special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast produced by GCoM. This marks the third series of special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast series produced in partnership with GCoM, now focused on the key themes of the 2024 Innovate4Cities Conference. Today, we will explore the potential for multi-level partnerships and governance efforts to address city-level research & innovation demands in the face of climate change. The clip at the beginning of the episode is Gregor Robertson speaking at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany.

We return in our second episode with an examination of a research & innovation trend touching not only local level governance but all aspects of how we process information and make decisions: digitalization. We are pleased to announce we’re joined by Martin Wainstein, Executive Director of the Open Earth Foundation, and Pooja Mahapatra, Global Lead of the Climate & Nature program at Fugro. Today’s guests join hosts Ben Jance and Cathy Oke in episode two of City Climate Innovation, special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast produced by GCoM. This installment continues the third series of special episodes of the University of Melbourne ClimateTalks Podcast series in partnership with GCoM. Turning to the key themes of the 2024 Innovate4Cities Conference, we’ll dive into the rapidly deepening world of digitalisation efforts to address city-level research & innovation demands in the face of climate change, because we can’t manage what we can’t measure.

In this third episode we would like to turn our focus to the role of nature in building resilient cities in consideration of the nature in which they are embedded. We welcome today Engineer Rigoberto Guerrero of the Municipality of Cuenca, Ecuador, alongside expert perspectives from Distinguished Professor Xuemei Bai of the Australian National University Fenner School of Environment and Society and Chief Heat Officer Eleni Myrivili of UN-Habitat. They’ll join hosts Ben Jance and Cathy Oke in our third installment of City Climate Innovation, special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast produced by GCoM. Continuing the third series of special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast in partnership with GCoM, these dialogues are focused on the key themes of the 2024 Innovate4Cities Conference. Today, we will explore the potential for biodiversity & resilience-focused research & innovation to inform cities around the necessary safeguards to mitigate climate change and adapt effectively to its impacts. The clip at the beginning of the episode is from Eleni Myrivili delivering a TED Talk on A 3-Part Plan to Take on Extreme Heat Waves.

In this fourth episode we kick things off with the Executive Director of the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure, Ms. Savina Carluccio and Ms. Joanna Masic, Lead Urban Specialist and Global Lead, Urban, Disaster Risk Management and Land Global Practice at the World Bank. We also have Mr. Georges Youssef, Mayor of Menjez, Lebanon discussing the finance of urban sustainability at the local government level. These guests join hosts Ben Jance, and Cathy Oke in the latest episode of City Climate Innovation, special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast produced by GCoM. This marks the third series of special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast series produced in partnership with GCoM, now focused on the key themes of the 2024 Innovate4Cities Conference. Today, we will explore the enduring need for finance to catalyze climate change mitigation and adaptation in urban environments. The clip at the beginning of the episode is Ms. Savina Carluccio speaking at the IABSE Manchester 2024 keynote address.

In this final episode of City Climate Innovation, special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast produced by GCoM, Melbourne Centre for Cities and Melbourne Climate Futures, we bring a “fire side chat” with the co-chairs of the Innovate4Cities 2024 Conference – Ben Jance, Head of Research and Innovation at GCoM; Lea Ranalder Associate Programme Management Officer at UN Habitat; and two other key members of the event organizing team and lead authors of the Outcomes Report. We have the mastermind of the new city building form of the updated Global Research and Action Agenda for Cities and Climate Change Science (or GRAA) – Andrew Irvin; and curator of the Plenary Sessions, Hackathon and Climate Innovation Readiness Navigator Samia Khan. These guests join host Cathy Oke, Associate Professor Cathy Oke Senior Advisor to the Innovate4Cities Initiative and Director of Melbourne Centre for Cities. In this final episode of this third series of special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast series produced in partnership with GCoM, we conclude the discussions on themes of the 2024 Innovate4Cities Conference with key outcomes from this event, including the third iteration of the GRAA. The clip at the beginning of the episode is Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, former Grand Chief of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke opening the 2024 Innovate4Cities Conference.