Climate resilience: a comparative discussion on London and Paris

Cities need to adapt to a new climate, and they need to do so fast. Historical and recent CO2 emissions have already modified the Earth’s climate and will continue to do so even if humanity stops emitting greenhouse gases today. However, adapting cities to increased frequency and severity of droughts, floods, heatwaves, and other hazards poses major financial challenges. The investment needed to upgrade and retrofit the built environment as well as to create new grey and green infrastructure is enormous but not immediately profitable. What are London and Paris doing to meet these challenges? Who pays for climate adaptation in these European metropolises?

We will discuss these burning questions with Leonie Cooper, Chair of the Environment Committee of London Assembly and responsible for London’s 2019 declaration of “climate emergency” and Penelope Komites, Deputy Mayor of the City of Paris in charge of resilience.

Moderation: Giacomo Parrinello, Academic Director of the Master Governing Ecological Transitions in European Cities, Associate Professor of Environmental History, Centre for History at Sciences Po

Before being entrusted with the delegation related to innovation, attractiveness, Paris 2030 foresight, and resilience, Pénélope Komitès was, during Anne Hidalgo's first term, in charge of green spaces, urban nature, biodiversity, urban agriculture, and funeral affairs. Prior to that, she was responsible for people with disabilities, following a professional career in the nonprofit sector that led her to serve as the general director of Greenpeace-France for 5 years in the 1990s.

Leonie Cooper AM has represented Merton & Wandsworth on the London Assembly since 2016. She has led for Labour on Environment & Energy issues since then. Leonie chaired the London Environment Committee 2016-18, was Deputy Chair 2018-21 and took up the Chair again this year. Under her leadership, the Committee’s work led directly to the network of water fountains across London, and her own report on Biodiversity in housing developments led to Biodiversity Net Gain and the Urban Greening Factor being included in the London Plan 2021.