WakeUP Wake County is excited to present Driven to Change. A two-day virtual summit bringing together advocates, globally renowned scientists and planners, policymakers, and community leaders in an open dialogue to discuss how our housing and transportation choices contribute to the growing climate crisis. Over the two day event, we will take this complex global problem, and examine local policies that contribute the most to it, while also exploring exciting and inclusive solutions.

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AGENDA

Day 1 | Wednesday, February 17th, 2021

10:00am

Welcome and Introduction to the Summit WakeUP Vice Chair – Dr. Adam Terando

Climate Change Policy in the State of North Carolina Jeremy Tarr, Senior Advisor for Climate Change Policy to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper

Our Goals, Accomplishments, & the Future Mary-Ann Baldwin, Mayor of the City of Raleigh

11:00am

Session 1: Forecasting Our Future: A Conversation with Dr. Katharine Hayhoe about Climate Change, Extreme Weather, and Planning for Resilience
How will climate change affect our region now and in the future? Hotter temperatures, rising seas, and extreme weather events are all expected to increase in the future.

In this first session, participants will have the extraordinary opportunity to learn about our changing climate — and why it matters today — from one of the nation’s foremost climate experts, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe. Dr. Hayhoe is a leading author of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, and will summarize the changes we are seeing here in the Triangle region and around the world, how best to prepare for the risks posed by climate change, and how to translate climate science into actionable planning for resilience at the local to regional scale.

Dr. Hayhoe is a world-renowned atmospheric scientist who studies climate change and why it matters to us here and now. She is also a remarkable communicator who has received the National Center for Science Education’s Friend of the Planet award, the American Geophysical Union’s Climate Communication Prize, and the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Hayhoe has been included on such prominent lists as Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Foreign Policy’s 100 Leading Thinkers, and FORTUNE magazine’s World’s Greatest Leaders. She was also named United Nations Champion of the Earth in Science and Innovation in 2019.

2:00pm

Session 2: Policy Solutions for Reducing Emissions
Transportation and housing policies are crucial tools for addressing climate change because they shape how our towns and cities grow. Climate-friendly policies have the potential to yield such environmental benefits as limiting suburban sprawl, reducing dependence on automobiles, and encouraging more walking and bicycling. In session 2, we’ll learn about efforts presently underway to better integrate sustainability into local transportation and housing plans. Joining us for this discussion is Brent Toderian.

Mr. Toderian is an internationally sought thought-leader with over 25 years of experience in advanced urbanism, city planning and urban design. Brent established TODERIAN UrbanWORKS following 6 years as Vancouver BC’s Chief Planner, where he managed planning and design around the 2010 Winter Olympics; the EcoDensity and Greenest City Initiatives; new visions and strategies for the city’s viaducts; multi-modal mobility and active transportation (walk, bike and transit); place-making, public place design and street activation strategies; next generation transit-oriented development (TOD) initiatives; and the Laneway Housing program and other affordability/housing strategies.

6:00pm

Shared Perspectives in Policy
Join us for small virtual breakout sessions, where you will get to meet individuals from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors and community members and discuss challenges and opportunities in policy and practice to help curb climate change.

Day 2 | Thursday, February 18th, 2021

9:00am

Session 3: Goals and Strategies Across the Triangle for Reducing Emissions
What have Triangle communities done to date to combat the global climate crisis, and what lessons can our area learn from the successes and challenges of peer communities throughout the country? Find out in session 3, where we will discuss the latest efforts to promote environmental sustainability throughout the Triangle, such as the City of Raleigh’s Communitywide Climate Action Plan (CCAP), and talk about climate goals and strategies for the future. Joining us for this panel discussion will be elected officials from in and around Wake County and local sustainability managers & planning staff.

2:00pm

Session 4: Adapting to Change & Disproportionate Impacts in the Triangle
To an extent, some of the effects of climate change are now locked in. That means that each and everyone of us is going to need to adapt to warmer temperatures and more extreme weather in the near future, regardless of how successful we are at reducing emissions. In session 4, we’ll be joined by climate justice experts, advocates, and climate policy experts to talk about how Triangle residents will need to adjust their lifestyles in the future even if we achieve carbon reduction goals over the next few decades, as hoped. This discussion will focus on the economic impacts of rising temperatures, strategies for building community resilience, and ideas for addressing the disproportionate impact of warming temperatures on historically underserved communities.

6:00pm

Session 5:  Becoming a Climate Advocate in the Triangle
In our final session, Doug Parsons, a climate adaptation influencer and Director of America Adapts Podcast, will lead a discussion about the roles and responsibilities we all share when it comes to protecting our environment and tackling the climate crisis. As host of a renowned podcast, Doug will share the most important lessons he’s learned from experts in the field of adaptation and inspire with positive stories and ideas for how concerned individuals can take meaningful action today to address the growing threat of climate change.

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