2024 Waste and the Climate Summit: A Strategic Conversation
On March 25, 2024, Divert NS hosted a summit titled Waste and the Climate: A Strategic Conversation. The summit explored the intersection between waste management and climate change. The event focused on developing connections between stakeholders working in the two fields, highlighting how waste and climate change are linked, and identifying areas of collaboration.
Following the opening remarks from Divert NS and the Honourable Timothy Halman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, attendees received an overview of provincial climate change initiatives and a presentation providing tools and techniques to effectively communicate about climate change.
The municipal perspectives session provided insights from municipalities highlighting their climate projects and goals for addressing climate change on a local level. Attendees gained valuable knowledge on how local governments are taking action to combat climate change and manage waste effectively.
The waste & climate change session focused on ongoing research projects including measuring the effects of municipal organic waste management on carbon footprint, creating tools to tackle greenhouse gas emissions in Canada’s food system, and exploring best practice opportunities for managing end-of-life solar panels.
Lastly, attendees heard from three climate organizations each providing an overview of their mandate and mission in addition to providing examples of their current waste and climate initiatives. Attendees then engaged in a facilitated session and had the opportunity to discuss key themes highlighted throughout the day and work collaboratively to prioritize a list of actions to be undertaken. Learn more about what we heard from the facilitated session here.
Over 70 key stakeholders attended the event. Attendees included provincial government staff, municipal representatives from both waste management and climate change respectively, academia and environmental organizations.
The following presentations were delivered at the summit:
- Nova Scotia Environment & Climate Change Overview
- How to Talk about Climate Change
- Panel: Municipal Perspectives
- Waste & Climate Change Research
- Climate Organizations Sharing Information
Photos of the summit are available here. (Note: Photos are copyright Divert NS 2024. Please feel free to download and share photos, but credit Divert NS.)
