In this episode, our impressive lineup of guests join hosts Ben Jance, Marnie McGregor, and Andy Deacon directly from COP27 in the third episode of City Climate Innovation, a podcast series of special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast to discuss networking and innovation for cities. We hear from a range of experts that we caught up with at the COP floor that are all working toward innovative climate solutions and research from a range of perspectives. Our guests are Massamba Thioye, Project Executive of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat (or UNFCCC) Global Innovation Hub; Yunus Arikan, Director of Global Advocacy at ICLEI World Secretariat; Helen Watts, Senior Director of Global Partnerships, Student Energy; Sheela Patel, Founder and Director of the Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) Founder and Innovate4Cities Advisory Group Co-Chair and Anna Reynolds, Lord Mayor of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia and GCoM Board Member.

In the second episode of the City Climate Innovation: Special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast ‘Networked and Innovative Cities’, special guests Maryke van Staden, Director of Business Development, the carbonn Climate Center, and Interim Head of Climate Action at ICLEI World Secretariat, Jean-Baptiste Buffet, Head of Global Policy and Advocacy at United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and Rachel Huxley, Director of Knowledge and Learning at C40 Cities, join hosts Ben Jance, Cathy Oke, and Andy Deacon to discuss the importance of networking and innovation for city climate action – and key activities in the lead up to COP27 from major city networks. Maryke starts us off with a focus on Daring Cities and the value of these types of forums to empower urban decision-makers to lead in the climate emergency. Jean-Baptiste chimes in live from UCLG World Congress in Daejeon, South Korea on the importance of the role of intermediary cities. And lastly, we hear from Rachel at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she shares with us some key research priorities identified by cities at the research roundtable. You don’t want to miss it!

In this first episode of the City Climate Innovation: Special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast – Cities on a Mission – we shed light on the critical need for urban research and innovation, kicking off with GCoM Research and Innovation Technical Working Group co-chair Valentina Palermo, Scientific Project Officer at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) who shares what urban practitioners are saying through the lens of the City Research and Innovation Agenda (CRIA) and the Global Research and Action Agenda (GRAA) – two key outcomes from the Innovate4Cities 2021 Conference, launched and discussed at ICLEI World Congress 2021-2022. Coming from the Global Clean Energy Action Forum in Pittsburgh, USA we also have Rosalinde van der Vlies, Director of the Clean Planet Directorate in the European Commission’s DG for Research and Innovation and Mission Innovation Vice Chair, and Giorgia Rambelli, Director of the Urban Transitions Mission – unpacking the Mission Innovation Urban Transitions Mission (UTM), a joint effort that aims to mobilize cities worldwide to advance their climate action planning, increase their ambition and implement systemic and innovative approaches to a net-zero, resilient, and people-centered urban future. They will go into more detail on what UTM will bring to the stage and its priorities for the first year. These guests join hosts Ben Jance, Cathy Oke, and Andy Deacon.