A delegation of Yukoners will be jetting more than 10,000 kilometres to Egypt to talk climate change with world leaders.
In an Oct. 31 statement, the Yukon government said it will send two officials as part of the territory’s delegation to the 27th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as COP27. The conference is scheduled from Nov. 6 to 18 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
COP27 described as an opportunity for countries “to come together to take action” on collective climate goals agreed to under the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The conference’s pavilion area is expected to provide opportunities for local governments, the business community, youth, civil and Indigenous societies and academics from around the world to share and promote dialogue and awareness around global climate action.
Shehnaz Ali, the assistant deputy minister of Corporate Services and Climate Change, and Rebecca Turpin, who serves as the director of the climate change secretariat with the department of Environment, will be part of the Yukon’s larger delegation. Others will include representatives from the Assembly of First Nations (Yukon region), Yukon University and the Yukon First Nations Climate Action Fellowship.
Ali and Turpin are scheduled to be part of two panels while in Egypt. One will be with the Government of the Northwest Territories, focusing on climate adaptation and resiliency in the Canadian North, while the other will be with the governments of Prince Edward Island and British Columbia about the efforts of Canadian jurisdictions to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
In a statement, Environment Minister Nils Clarke commented on the importance of the conference for the territory.
“The Yukon is warming at twice the rate as many parts of the world and we are experiencing disproportionate impacts of climate change compared to many other jurisdictions,” he said.
“That is why we are working hard to be a national leader in climate mitigation and adaptation and it is critical that our voice is communicated and heard on a global stage at COP27. I look forward to hearing how our delegation demonstrated our successes when it comes to climate action and to bring back important insights on how we can continue to address the climate change crisis.”
The Yukon government pointed out it released its Our Clean Future 2021 annual report in September as well as its first climate risk and resiliency assessment for the territory. The documents detail efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, transition to renewable energy and outline areas where the Yukon is most vulnerable to climate change as well as where it is resilient.
Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com