
Institute for Carbon Management – Distinguished Speaker Series
Catherine McKenna
Former Canadian Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
Thursday, January 23, 2025, 4:00 – 5:30 pm
UCLA CNSI Auditorium
Where change comes from: My time in politics, the Paris Agreement and the future of climate action
Abstract
Days after being named Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna, landed in Paris and quickly found herself at the heart of the effort to secure the landmark agreement. Soon after the real battle would begin at home as she fought to deliver Canada’s first serious climate plan including carbon pricing against fierce opposition. After six years in Cabinet, she left politics and was appointed chair of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Expert Group on Net Zero tasked with setting out the criteria for real net zero and calling out greenwashing. She recently returned from COP29 in Azerbaijan. She remains what she calls a “stubborn climate optimist” but she also a realist. In this lecture, she reflects on her time in politics, where the world is at on climate action and what she has learned about making change happen — change she believes the world needs now more than ever.
Bio
Catherine McKenna is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Climate and Nature Solutions. She is Canada’s former Minister of Environment and Climate Change as well as Minister of Infrastructure. She is Chair of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Commitments of Non-State Entities which released its Integrity Matters report at COP 27 setting out criteria for net zero commitments of business, financial institutions, cities and regions. She founded Women Leading on Climate and a Visiting Professor in Practice at the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics. She is an advisor to the Climate Data Steering Committee for the Macron/Bloomberg Net Zero Data Public Utility, Singapore’s International Advisory Panel for Carbon Credits, the Taskforce on Net Zero Policy, the LSE Just Transition Finance Lab, as well as to the University of Ottawa’s Information Integrity Lab. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto, the London School of Economics and McGill Law School and is called to the Bars of Ontario and New York. She advises many private sector boards. She is a frequent speaker on climate action, net zero leadership and women empowerment.
Please join the reception prior to the event, 3:00 – 4:00 pm at CNSI Lobby
Date/Time:
Date(s) - Jan 23, 2025
4:00 pm PST - 5:30 pm PST
Location:
California NanoSystems Institute
570 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles CA 90095