Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits GCA to discuss climate innovation to build a green and resilient recovery
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otterdam, the Netherlands, 29 October 2021 – The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, today visited the new floating global office of the Global Center on Adaptation, to discuss how climate innovation can be used to build a green and resilient recovery in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Prime Minister spoke during a roundtable hosted by GCA CEO Prof. Dr. Patrick Verkooijen with business leaders, youth representatives and other climate innovators from across the Netherlands. During the roundtable discussion, on the world’s largest floating office, perspectives and insights were shared on the action needed to inculcate and implement the transformative solutions necessary to meet the challenge of the climate emergency.
Members of GCA’s Youth Adaptation Network, including international students studying in the Netherlands, joined business leaders of companies to discuss innovative solutions to creating a green and resilient recovery, including climate-smart agriculture, cleantech ecosystems, and nature-based solutions. There was a particular focus on how to scale and finance solutions as well as how partnerships, including between developed and developing nations including those in Africa, can help maximize the effectiveness of adaptation initiatives.
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, noted that:
“We are going to face some extremely difficult times in the coming years. That’s where protecting nature now and understanding the need for mitigation and adaptation is extraordinarily important and why even as we talk about investments in new technologies and innovative solutions, we also need to talk about protecting nature.”
Prof. Dr. Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation, spoke about the importance of adaptation as part of the discussions taking place next week at COP26:
“It makes economic sense to invest in adaptation and resilience. Because every dollar invested, for example, in resilient infrastructure yields four dollars in return. It is simply smart economics.”
Canada was a participant, supporter and convener of the Global Commission on Adaptation, a GCA managed two-year initiative created to catalyze a global movement to accelerate climate adaptation solutions. In recognition of the untapped potential for nature to reduce climate risks, Canada and Mexico co-led the Nature Based Solutions Action Track. Canada’s International Development Research Centre also supported the 20/20 Young Adaptation Professionals Programme – a 24-month capacity building initiative that brought together 20 emerging research voices, from across the global South. Their work informed the global adaptation agenda and advanced action that will help communities and countries all over the world become more resilient to climate-related threats.
