On July 12-14, 2017, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia will host the ECOCITY World Summit.
Our focus will be Changing Cities: Resilience and Transformations, highlighting the need to deploy expert knowledge – academic, professional, civic – to make cities resilient in the face of rapid change. Melbourne has been lauded as the world’s most liveable city, but is not immune to the challenges facing all cities. The ECOCITY World Summit 2017 will harness the expertise and develop the networks needed to create a world of ecocities.
Humanity has entered its urban age, with a rapidly growing majority of the population now living in cities. The ‘urban globe’ faces unprecedented social and environmental challenges. The chief danger is climate change, which threatens epic disruption and hardship. But there are related challenges to human health, biodiversity and the bedrocks of life – food, water, and energy. At the same time, new ‘smart’ technologies are proposing solutions to planetary problems.
One principal solution is apparent: our cities must become ecological cities if we want a sustainable world. Creating ecocities must now be a human priority. Australia, a nation of cities, is well-placed to contribute to this urgent global project.
We are delighted to announce that the Hon. Al Gore (former US Vice President and current Chair of the Climate Reality Project) will be the Principal Speaker at the Ecocity World Summit 2017.
Mr. Gore will deliver his famous “Inconvenient Truth” slide presentation including his insights on the role of cities in meeting the global climate challenge.
The involvement of Mr. Gore will further strengthen the potential for the Melbourne Ecocity World Summit to play a crucial role in accelerating global climate change action by cities and subnational governments.