Lead like a girl - In conversation with Catherine McKenna

What links the Paris Agreement, Barbie and Arnold Schwarzenegger? The answer is this week’s guest on Cities 1.5!

As a key architect of the Paris Agreement, Catherine McKenna - Canada’s former Minister for Climate Change and the Environment - reflects on why cities are now the true engines of delivery. There’s also a powerful exploration of Catherine’s new memoir, Run Like a Girl, and a firsthand account of why we cannot solve the climate crisis while leaving half the world’s population out of the corridors of power. It’s time to lead like a girl.

Featured guest:

Hon. Catherine McKenna, Chair of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Commitments of Non-State Entities and host of Women Leading on Climate podcast

Audio clips:
Environment minister tells Rebel Media reporter to stop calling her 'Climate Barbie' - CBC News

Links:

What justice for women in Afghanistan? - Swiss Info

Inside the C40 World Mayors Summit - Cities 1.5

It’s Grand Ol’ Bargain, Alright - Hot Takes

Canada’s former climate minister on making a change, ‘aloof’ Trudeau and sexism - The Guardian

Integrity Matters: Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities - United Nations website

Paris climate deal - The Guardian

Breaking the Tragedy of the Horizon - Mark Carney speech

Meet the young climate activists behind Mathur et. al. v. His Majesty - Ecojustice

Why would anyone hate Catherine McKenna? - Maclean’s

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

Transcript

[theme music]

David 00:01

I’m David Miller and you’re listening to Cities 1.5, a podcast exploring how cities are leading global change through local climate action. [music ends]

Christopher Wilson 00:14

Christopher Wilson, Rebel Media. My question is for Minister McKenna, thank you very much for being here today. What does the federal government believe the role of hydroelectricity is, whether it’s Site C or other hydro projects across the country, in providing clean power, especially as we see cities like Vancouver phase out fossil fuels for increased electrification?

Catherine McKenna 00:33

So, you’re the Rebel Media that happens to call me Climate Barbie. I certainly hope that you will no longer use that hashtag.

Christopher Wilson 00:39

Me personally, I never have, Minister.

Catherine McKenna 00:41

I’m just saying Rebel Media. So, can I get a commitment from you that you will not use that hashtag and not use that name in your articles?

Christopher Wilson 00:47

Well, me personally, yes. But I don’t have any control over others.

Catherine McKenna 00:49

Rebel Media--

Christopher Wilson 00:50

But if you want to get into it right now, you actually banned one of our correspondents from going to the upcoming conference in Bonn. So, how can that….

Catherine McKenna 00:56

That is not true. In fact, I wrote a letter last year encouraging you to come, because I think that you can all learn about climate change, how it’s having real impacts.

Christopher Wilson 01:03

I have a legitimate question about hydroelectricity’s role.

Catherine McKenna 01:06

I just would like a commitment that you will not call me names. That you won’t talk about the color of my hair. That you won’t make fun of me. And the reason I’m asking you not to do this is because I have two daughters.

Christopher Wilson 01:16

All right.

Catherine McKenna 01:16

That there are lots of girls that want to get into politics, and it is completely unacceptable that you do this.

Jess 01:22

[rousing music] It’s wild to hear that, isn’t it? What you’ve just heard was a video clip that went viral across Canada, and then the world. That exchange was between a right-wing Canadian journalist and Catherine McKenna, then the Canadian Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, after an environment ministers meeting in Vancouver in 2017.

Peggy 01:47

Globally, the sexism that women still have to endure, along with the fact that the climate crisis disproportionately impacts women, is the reason that International Women’s Day is such an important moment in our calendar. Even in 2026, many of us still suffer harassment, sexism in the workplace, human rights abuses, and lack of legal rights. In some parts of the world, such as Afghanistan, women don’t even have the most basic of rights at all. [music ends]

Jess 02:15

[slow rhythmic music] This past Sunday, March 8th, marked this global day of reflection. And as is our tradition at Cities 1.5, our host David is taking a back seat. Today, the all-women production team is taking over the episode. I’m Jess, the lead producer of Cities 1.5.

Peggy 02:37

And I’m Peggy, the writer and executive producer on the show.

Jess 02:41

Every year, we mark this date by celebrating the women doing extraordinary work for our planet.

Peggy 02:47

Last year at the World Mayors Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Catherine and David sat down for a conversation. She shared her reflections on being part of the negotiations that brought about the Paris Agreement, her life after politics, and her new memoir Run Like A Girl. Catherine also talks about the future of Canada’s climate ambitions and the launch of her podcast, Women Leading on Climate, where she continues to champion the female leaders and Indigenous voices who are often on the front lines of this crisis. [music ends]

Catherine McKenna 03:19

[phone rings] [whooshing] I’m Catherine McKenna, I’m Canada’s former Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Infrastructure. I do many things right now, but I also am chair of the UN Secretary General’s expert group on net zero commitments of cities, regions, corporates, and financial institutions. And I am here in Rio because I presented my third report to the Secretary General, and a shout out to cities who are really leading the way in climate. [handset clicks]

David 03:45

Catherine, thanks for being with us on Cities 1.5. It’s just—it’s an absolute privilege to have you with us. And you’re a little bit different than our normal guests, because we normally have mayors and scientists and youth. We’ve had no former environment ministers, let alone somebody with the role you currently have. So, thank you.

Catherine McKenna 04:05

So, no recovering politicians. Is that what you’re saying?

David 04:07

Well, there’s a recovering politician right here. [chuckles]

Catherine McKenna 04:09

Oh, right. You are. So, okay.

David 04:11

So, we have one at least.

Catherine McKenna 04:13

Right. Okay.

David 04:14

I was at Paris Accords as the head of the Canadian not-for-profit World Wildlife Fund—

Catherine McKenna 04:22

That’s right.

David 04:23

—and we were watching the negotiations very closely. We were biting our tongue at the fact that it was going to be 2°, because it was so important there was an agreement reached. In walks Catherine McKenna, this is how it looked, has a round table and all of a sudden there’s a higher ambition of 1.5°. So, that was what it looked like. That you’d personally delivered that and Canada delivered that. I was so proud to be Canadian.

Catherine McKenna 04:52

Yeah. I mean, I just made the call. Like we were sitting in the room and that is what is required for many places, including coastal cities to not be underwater, or small island states. And I think it is important that you step up. And you know what? I’m someone that, you know, I was a minister who made her own decisions on some things [chuckles], so it was important and it was an important moment. I could tell in the negotiations, like sometimes you’ve got to read the negotiations. And the High Ambition Coalition was pulling people over, but they needed to have some, you know, key countries step up. And I thought that is why I was there. Like, I was told by the prime minister, “We need to help deliver an ambitious agreement, not just any agreement,” so I made the call. I mean, and—I mean, it’s hard now though, because we could reach—we could stay at 1.5, but everyone’s got to do the work.

David 05:45

Well, we’re kind of at 1.5.

Catherine McKenna 05:47

We’re at 1.5. You know, we can stay there if we wanted to, but the problem is too many people are not acting with integrity. And by that, I mean often national governments.

David 05:59

Really want to discuss national governments, including one close to our home, but let’s just talk about the point you made about, “Paris is still alive. We need to support it. We need to support multilateralism.” The C40 is an interesting example of a slightly different kind of multilateralism. We don’t have to have unanimity. We allow some groups of cities to still be labeled as C40 who have higher ambitions than everybody else. But when they break through, everybody comes along. [Gives me 06:28], really, two questions. Given the headwinds that are blowing from places like the United States of America, how hopeful are you that three years from now we’ll still be able to speak to Paris? What do people need to do to make sure we’re actually not just speaking to Paris, we’re making progress? And secondly, are there any lessons for the international community from the kind of model we have where there’s collaboration, there doesn’t have to be unanimity, and you encourage leadership and then when people make breakthroughs try to spread it broadly?

Catherine McKenna 07:05

So, those are big questions. Look, the Paris Agreement is foundational because what would we do otherwise? [chuckles] Like, we didn’t have an agreement on a temperature goal and where everyone agreed to their part. As I tell folks, like, in sporting terms this is a stretch goal. Like, it’s hard. It’s hard to actually do 1.5. You’ve got to do the work and get up every day. And I think—like, look, the future of the Paris Agreement relies on countries actually living up to what they committed to, because this unanimity thing—well, actually, consensus is not unanimity, so that—actually, I say that to everyone. We don’t have to get everyone on board.

David 07:43

Okay.

Catherine McKenna 07:43

It’s consensus. The Paris Agreement is not the only game in town now. Now, a lot of the work has to be done at home. We have an agreement. We’ve—you know, we’ve negotiated. Like, it took a few, you know, different COPs to actually get the detail that we needed in some areas, now we’ve got to do the work at home. So, it’s everything doesn’t really rely on the Paris Agreement, it actually relies on governments doing the work. But it is a problem, this idea, where especially big states—because the problem is it’s, like, Saudi Arabia, but other people often stand behind Saudi Arabia. Now it could be the U.S., God knows. I was there when Trump won and they actually were selling coal. Well, I was like, you know, we were doing a Powering Past Coal event and everyone’s there so excited. It was Canada and the U.K. and we created this new coalition. [chuckles] And in another room, there was, like, the U.S., like, literally promoting coal. But, yeah. I mean, you see—I think that it is also important that we have High Ambition Coalitions like C40 and other things where there is a price of emission. It’s not like, you know, everything has to be exactly the same, it just means you’re not dealing with people who are literally trying to thwart things. And I think we’re going to have to do that on some areas where you want to find solutions. Like, I’m from Hamilton, so steel is really important. Green steel. They’re all going to get together, figure out the supply chain and do these things. People really want to get an outcome. So, I think there’s different ways to solve these problems, but we’re going to have to fight for this. Like, I’m sorry. Like, I am a bit of a fighter, as people would know, but you don’t have to fight. And Canada’s example is potentially imperfect, but what we did is, you know, we negotiated. I was—I went home. Like, Paris was hard and then it was way harder going back to Canada where you have, like, PEI, a small island, you know, state, and then you have, like, you know, [Saudi Arabia 09:29], Alberta. You have, like, kind of the whole world represented there. And at that time, we actually had a lot of governments aligned on climate, and then you negotiate a deal. And some didn’t sign on. It was really Saskatchewan. Manitoba kind of was weird. But we also—for our policies, we had a backstop. So, what does that mean? We had a policy, like carbon pricing, we wanted provinces to do their own policy. We’re like, “Great, do your own policy. But if you don’t do it, we’re going to impose, like, the policy, the backstop.” We tried that. That’s very hard to keep.

[slow rhythmic music] And then you get government changes and then you lose a lot of the progress. So, it is, you know, these things are hard, but that’s not an excuse. And as I’ve said, like, it’s a no brainer. The risks and costs are so high, and cities are on the front lines. You can’t be—I mean, I guess some people can climate deniers. But when people are dying from extreme heat or from floods, you’ve got a problem, so you’ve got to deal with it. And the solutions are so awesome. So, I’m optimistic because it’s the smart thing to do. Having said that, Donald Trump’s election, where he now targets countries and individuals, that makes it tough. [music ends]

Peggy 10:40

[theme music] This episode of Cities 1.5 is produced by University of Toronto Press with generous support from C40 Cities.

Jess 10:51

Want more access to current research on how city leaders are approaching climate action? We also publish the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy.

Peggy 10:59

Our mission is to publish timely, evidence-based research that contributes to the urban climate agenda and supports governmental policy towards an equitable and resilient world.

Jess 11:10

The journal serves as a platform for dynamic content that highlights ambitious near-term climate action, with a particular focus on human-centered solutions to today’s most pressing climate challenges.

Peggy 11:22

To read the latest issue, visit jccpe.utpjournals.press or click on the link in our show notes. [music ends]

David 11:32

[fast rhythmic music] As minister, you were a leader. You had a prime minister that was supportive on these issues, empowered you as minister of the environment and climate change to go to Paris and try to make sure it was an ambitious agreement that was agreed on. We’ve just seen a federal budget that from the outside appears to go a different direction. Talks about emissions intensity—I have to say, Catherine, I was absolutely shocked and stunned to see that in any document in 2025. Like, it’s absurd. What’s your feeling about the direction that seems to be indicated in the budget and where do you think we go as Canada? [music ends]

Catherine McKenna 12:18

Look, I supported Mark Carney and he—you know, he knows climate as well as anyone. I mean, he was the UN Secretary General’s special envoy on climate. He wrote Tragedy of the Horizon 10 years ago, talking about the massive risks, financial risks from infrastructure, to litigation risks, to broader financial economy risks. So, it’s interesting, like, I just care about outcomes. Like maybe it’s a swimmer in me so I’m like, “Okay, I don’t understand—like you haven’t unpacked. You’ve talked about policies, some which you want to do, some which you don’t. And some of them are really important.” Like the industrial price for heavy emitters is super important. The system does not work. It’s not how I intended it when I, you know, was minister. [chuckles] It was supposed to actually get outcomes. Like, you know, you’ve got to pay for your pollution and that will incentivize you to reduce your pollution.

David 13:13

Of course.

Catherine McKenna 13:13

But it just has not worked at all. So, they’ve talked about, “You’ve got to do that.” They’ve talked about methane regs. They’ve talked about, you know, the clean electricity standard. Those are really important. But if you don’t talk about what emission reductions you’re going to get, I don’t know what that means. And it’s interesting because in the book—I have to—of course, like, you know, I have to mention the book. You know, Run Like A Girl, go get it right now. Run to your bookstore, on the shelves. But….

David 13:38

And you don’t have to be just a girl. Okay? Run Like A Girl.

Catherine McKenna 13:40

You know—and it’s actually—it’s really about, “Like, do things in your own way.” Like, I identify as a girl. I don’t really—it’s about, like, how to do things. And it’s really not a political memoir. People try to say that. It’s really about what I’ve learned about making change. And it’s change beyond climate. It’s human rights. It’s change on climate, sure, but also about, like, politics and making change. So, yeah, go get it. It’s also—like, it’s got fun things. It has me—like, you know, how did I get away from all. I went swimming or I hung out with my book club, or I went dancing at House of Targ where it has pinball and pierogies, and Friday nights once a month they play New Order and 90s music, so that’s awesome for me.

David 14:20

One of the things you talk about in the book is the challenge of being a woman in politics. And, you know, we hear it from mayors here at C40—

Catherine McKenna 14:29

Yeah.

David 14:30

—the level of online abuse—and you face not just online abuse, you face the main opposition party abuse because you’re a woman.

Catherine McKenna 14:41

Yep.

David 14:42

Can you talk about that? Like, how you dealt with it? How you found the strength of character to keep pursuing a very ambitious agenda, which from my perspective you never deviated from, when you’re undergoing nonstop attacks because you’re—really because of your gender? Not—I mean….

Catherine McKenna 15:04

Yeah. Well, also because I did things, right? [chuckles]

David 15:08

Yeah. Well, that’s true.

Catherine McKenna 15:09

But it’s interesting. Like, it’s weird. So—just so everyone knows, my book is a scrapbook format. So, you can see I got a lot of Barbie sent to me. Yes, grown men went to a store, a children’s store—a toy store, and then bought a Barbie and then wrote a mean note and then actually looked up where my offices were and then had it—like, then paid money to send it. Like, that’s, like, a lot of commitment to hating someone. And….

David 15:35

That is really wildly strange.

Catherine McKenna 15:37

That is really weird. And it’s funny because the book is also—like, who am I? I’m just a regular person. Like, I came from Hamilton. I come from, like, a big Irish Catholic family. I went to a French school. Like, I liked soccer. I did not play with Barbies. Like, all of these things I think are just—in a way, I feel like it’s important to explain to people, “Like I’m just a regular person working on a really hard file. And I wasn’t a climate person, I just came to it because I was given this job. I’d worked for human rights. I cared about climate, it is one of the reasons I ran, but I—it’s funny because it became weird really quickly. Because suddenly I was, like, Climate Barbie—which sounds cute now. I know Greta Gerwig—it’s like a—you know, like some feminist icon movie, but I knew what people—the guys were saying. It was like—

David 16:19

[It wasn’t cute 16:19].

Catherine McKenna 

—“You’re a bimbo. You are only there because of your gender. You’re only in cabinet because of your gender and we’re going to layer climate denial on the misogyny. Oh, and wrap it up in a bow.” So—but it was—like, it’s interesting because at least I had other women who were going through it. So, Shannon Phillips was the minister of environment in Alberta. It was terrible for her too. And Katharine Hayhoe, who’s a world-renowned Canadian climate scientist, was also going through it. I could disassociate from me personally, sort of, in that I could say, “Like, it’s because I’m a woman working on climate.” And this is well documented, the misogyny that occurs. And by the way, I call it out in the book, not because I need sympathy—I’m out of politics—because we need change. Like, I actually document in some detail and people are like, “Oh, God! Who’s going to want to go into politics if you’re a woman?” But I said I would help women, and this is part of helping women. One, I know that they need to know what they’re getting into, but two, we need Canadians to know because the best way to stop this is if Canadians are like, “This is garbage. Like, we…” And a lot of Canadians supported me across lines, political lines, but, I mean, like, I’m also just outcome oriented. So, I was like, “I don’t know. Like, I’ve got to do this work,” and you’ve got to get up every day. And I—once again, the competitive swimmer. [And people would be 17:29] like, “How—what prepared you for politics? Being a lawyer? Working internationally?” I was like, “No, literally swimming.” I had a long-term goal, and I knew I needed to do the work. I also knew I had a lot of support. Like a lot of Canadians wanted climate action. The challenge, really, that made me so angry was the Conservative opposition and not Progressive Conservatives. Because I worked—I document this too in the book. Brian Mulroney, he is a Progressive—he was a Progressive Conservative prime minister. He supported a price on pollution where the money went back. He introduced me to George Shultz, a Republican. He was, like, you know, secretary of state under Ronald Reagan, who also said, “You’ve got to give the money back. This is the best policy ever. It uses the markets.” You know, I had—even Arnold Schwarzenegger. There’s a picture of him. Actually, it’s kind of funny. He FaceTimed me in the middle of a meeting with bureaucrats on, like, designing our carbon pricing system, with a cigar in his mouth. So, FaceTime pops up and there’s Arnold Schwarzenegger. [chuckles] He’s like, “Catherine, how are you doing?” So, I, like, grabbed the phone, run into the bathroom—and then I will say I feel like I’m kind of a technological genius, because I was able to do a screenshot with me and him talking while he has a cigar. [chuckles] So, you can see that in the book too.

David 18:37

Okay.

Catherine McKenna 18:37

He literally talks about how he was able to get a price on pollution cap and trade system, cross bipartisan lines, and California’s economy is one of the strongest in the world while they’re reducing emissions. But look, it sucks getting attacked, and I hear this more and more. I think it was kind of, like, when—I was on social—I mean, I’ve been on social media for a while before, because I started a charity, so I had to use it. And it was fine during the campaign because I had to run for two years, so people got to know me. And so, it was useful. Soon as I came on, it switched. But I think that was early days. I talk to a lot of mayors, women mayors, officials, you know, even school trustees, like, they are getting so much hate and it’s really scary. And they don’t have the protection. Like I did—ultimately, I had to really push hard for people to take it seriously, but I did get support. But it’s really hard for them and far too many are leaving politics early. I left because I had served two terms and I was like, “I’m kind of done here. I want to work globally on climate, and I want to spend more time with my kids.” But for a lot of them, it’s not a choice. It’s just not safe. They do not feel safe. And that is a major problem, and we need to tackle this. We need to hold social media companies responsible, but we also have to hold other politicians responsible. Calling me Climate Barbie was one thing, but when you say that, you know, “This is a job killing carbon price,” that’s when it really got bad.

David 20:00

It is really evident that misogyny is rising.

Catherine McKenna 20:04

Right now, I am really worried. Because now everything’s woke. But what that means is you can say terrible things about women, and if you’re LGBTQ+ you’re racialized. You’re Indigenous, it’s way worse. It’s bonkers. Like it is completely unacceptable. And this is—you know, this is an impact of Donald Trump. It is an impact of social media companies who use algorithms that actually, you know, are designed to polarize populations to promote hate. Like, I think that they made a ton of money off of me because they loved it. That they could go get people hating on me and then, like, you know, there’ll be this big fight. That’s a massive problem but it has real life consequences. So, I’ve always said I will stand up for women in politics. So more broadly, if you’re, you know, women in politics, I’m there and I support you and I’m always trying to figure out, “What measures can we do to support women?” I started an initiative, Women Leading on Climate, not necessarily to deal with hate, but because we need solidarity and we need—women, often you’re at a table alone. You know, like, I felt sometimes at a cabinet table, I would feel alone. But I wanted to know—like it helped me to know that my friends who are often at other cabinet tables or negotiating tables or boardroom tables, they might be the only one speaking up, but they could know that there are other women at other tables speaking up. And that solidarity is important and we support each other. We also focus on real action, which I think is really important. But I do think these networks are critical because I think it is different being a woman facing the hate and misogyny. I know you’re very supportive and obviously you understand it, but it’s—when it’s so personalized—like I actually think I kind of had PTSD after I left politics, because I had pushed it out because I had a job to do. And now—like, when I initially left politics, like, I was very jumpy when people would come talk to me, because I literally didn’t know what would happen. And I was always on guard, like kind of looking around to make sure things were okay, because it just—it was like a learned behavior. And I think it is important we talk about it. It’s important that women support each other, but we actually act on it. Like, this is the thing. Everything’s about outcomes. Let’s get some outcomes here. Let’s do a better job of protecting women. Let’s call out politicians who do personal attacks. Fine to, you know, debate policy. Personal attacks, never okay. Doxing, super not okay. And let’s make sure people are protected.

David 22:22

Well, I think your book and your—Women Leading on Climate, which is your new podcast….

Catherine McKenna 22:28

[whimsical music] I have the initiative Women Leading on Climate. You can go find our website, womenleadingonclimate.org. Women Leading on Climate podcast, you can find it anywhere you find your podcast. Women Leading on Climate where I interview women that I think are awesome, that are fearless. And we need fearlessness right now in this moment of people who are just doing the right thing. Women are often the ones doing it.

David 22:51

Catherine, speaking of fearless, you’re one of those fearless women. A strong leader and fantastic building of solidarity. Equally importantly, fantastic leadership on climate. And thanks for coming today to share these stories on Cities 1.5. We really appreciate it.

Catherine McKenna 23:08

Thanks for that.

David 23:09

Thank you. [music ends]

Jess 23:12

[slow rhythmic music] Ultimately, Catherine’s work shows us that while she may have been targeted by sexism, she refuses to be defined by it. Her story proves that the best way to tackle the climate crisis is to ensure women not only have a seat at the table, but also that they are not alone at that table.

Peggy 23:33

Catherine’s story is one of resilience, but it’s also a call to action. As we’ve heard today, the fight for our planet and the fight for equity are deeply intertwined. We cannot solve the climate crisis while leaving half the world’s population out of the conversation or from the corridors of power.

Jess 23:50

If you enjoyed today’s episode, please check the show notes for links to Catherine’s memoir, Run Like A Girl, and her podcast, Women Leading on Climate, along with the Hot Takes and World Mayors Summit episodes that she also features in.

Peggy 24:03

From all of us on the Cities 1.5 production team, thank you for joining our International Women’s Day annual takeover. David will be back on hosting duties for next week’s episode. Until then, a message for all of the women in the world, keep leading. [music continues then ends]

Jess 24:21

[theme music] On the next episode of Cities 1.5, we’re visiting two cities on opposite sides of the globe, Athens, Greece, and Melbourne, Australia. Between the two mayors representing these very different cities, they’re on the cutting edge of creating policies to tackle heat, mitigate the effects of tourism, energy poverty, and disinformation, while also thinking about how to manage the growing issue of energy and data centers, to name just a few. These are the issues facing their residents, and these two mayors are trailblazing innovative solutions to try to solve them, and show their national governments how to create climate safe futures for all. So, tune in next time, you won’t want to miss it.

David 25:10 

This has been Cities 1.5, leading global change through local climate action. I’m David Miller. I was the mayor of Toronto, Canada, and I know firsthand the role cities can play in solving the climate crisis. Currently, I’m the editor-in-chief of the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, published by the University of Toronto Press in partnership with the C40 Centre, the thinktank for cities and climate, where I’m also the managing director.

This podcast is produced by Jessica Schmidt and edited by Morgane Chambrin. Peggy Whitfield is our writer and executive producer with narrative and communication support from Chiara Morfeo. Our music is by Lorna Gilfedder. The future isn’t waiting and neither are cities. To learn more, visit the show’s website linked in the episode notes. See you next time. [music ends]