UPDATE: Panelists added to the CEC’s free public forum on stormwater effects
Montreal, 11 June 2015—View the updated agenda to the free public forum—Water and Climate Change: Adaptation through Green Infrastructure—hosted by the Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), on July 14, in Boston, Massachusetts.
JPAC’s second session of 2015 will be held in conjunction with the 22nd Regular Session of the CEC’s governing Council, which is composed of the cabinet-level environment ministers from Canada, Mexico and the United States. The Council meets each year to discuss its agenda for environmental cooperation in North America under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC).
JPAC is composed of 15 citizens, five from each country. It advises the Council and ensures public participation, openness and transparency in the actions of the CEC.
At the July 14 JPAC forum, members of the public will convene with experts from nongovernmental organizations, government, academia and industry to discuss how green infrastructure and land-use planning can be vital tools for communities to use in adapting to changing climate and excess stormwater.
The forum will look at effective and sustainable water management strategies that improve water quality, mitigate flooding and reduce property damage.
Scheduled speakers to date include:
- Frederick A. Laskey, Executive Director, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA)
- Isabelle Thomas-Maret, Associate professor, Institut d’urbanisme, Université de Montréal
- Georgita J. Ruiz Michael, Executive Director, Tierra de Aves, A.C.
Further agenda updates will follow.
The forum will include a moderated question and answer session with experts and JPAC members, and a networking session at which participants can exchange views on the environmental issues to be raised at the CEC Council’s public meeting at the same venue on July 15.
The CEC Council meeting on July 15 will include a public town hall with members of the Council and an open exhibition of CEC projects — Working Together for the North American Environment.
Follow the CEC on Facebook at www.facebook.org/CECconnect and on Twitter @CECweb.
About the CEC
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) was established in 1994 by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States through the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, a parallel environmental agreement to NAFTA. As of 2020, the CEC is recognized and maintained by the Environmental Cooperation Agreement, in parallel with the new Free Trade Agreement of North America. The CEC brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including the general public, Indigenous people, youth, nongovernmental organizations, academia, and the business sector, to seek solutions to protect North America’s shared environment while supporting sustainable development for the benefit of present and future generations
The CEC is governed and funded equally by the Government of Canada through Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Government of the United States of Mexico through the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, and the Government of the United States of America through the Environmental Protection Agency.