This webinar brings together representatives from Lagos, Leeds, Mumbai, and Stockholm to discuss the topics of air pollution monitoring, local public health impacts, carbon neutrality, climate budgets, and equity and inclusion. The discussion is moderated by City Diplomacy Lab Director Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi.

In the face of the climate crisis, cities across the world are emerging as integral problem-solvers in the development of an effective, multi-layered response. This series celebrates the leadership of cities and provides inspiration for the thousands of cities and local governments around the world committed to shaping the global response to climate change.

The Cities and Climate Solutions webinar series is co-organized by the City Diplomacy Lab and Columbia Global Centers | Paris.

This webinar is co-sponsored by Columbia Global Centers | Mumbai, the Columbia Climate School, and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF).

Speakers

Mumbai

Revati Shidhaye (Assistant Engineer, Environment Dept, BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation) works in the Environment department of BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation. They work in tandem with the Pollution Control Board for monitoring of and mitigation measures for air pollution. With concerned departments, they also coordinate funds received from the Central Government for drinking water improvement, sanitation facilities, re-usage of sewer water, solid waste management.

Stockholm

Dr. Magnuz Enghardt has a Ph.D. in meteorology. He has worked with air pollution and climate throughout his scientific career. His present position is with the Environment and Health Administration in Stockholm where he focuses on urban air pollution. Prior to that he spent 20+ years at SMHI (the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute) working with regional air pollution. Engardt’s experience is mainly in the field of modeling and covers the cycling of acidifying and eutrophying species, near-surface ozone and particulate matter.

Lagos

Olabisi Shonibare is a seasoned environmentalist at the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), where she currently heads the Noise and Emissions Control Department. Her first degree is in Chemistry (BSc. Hons) 1990, University of Ibadan, Oyo State and her Masters in Environmental Management (MEM) 2004, University of Lagos, Akoka. Prior to joining the Lagos State Civil Service, she worked as a research chemist in a cosmetic and pharmaceutical company in Lagos for eight years. She initiated a number of projects that have projected the image of the Lagos State Government in terms of environmental management. Ms. Shonibare has worked with various organizations on emissions reduction and clean air practices. She has also worked on various air pollution control strategies within and outside thecCountry, including the PMEH World Bank Project, partnership with the Dept of State US Consulate Lagos, Clarity Air Solutions US, and institutions like the University of Lagos and Airqo Uganda. She attended various workshops, both local and international. She is a certified mediator on environmental issues, a member of the Nigeria Environmental Society, Science Association of Nigeria, and the Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria.

Leeds

Andrew Hickford works in Leeds City Council's Climate, Energy & Green Spaces service which has responsibility for their Climate Emergency programme that includes energy purchase and generation, decarbonisation, air quality, tree planting and energy efficient corporate buildings. He leads across a range of areas including fleet decarbonisation, supporting the delivery of one of the largest ZE fleets in the country, as well as working to encourage ZE uptake across the city and region. He also delivers EV infrastructure, working on charge point delivery for their fleet in addition to working on public charging facilities, delivering a 100+ unit rapid charge network across the region, Leeds schemes in residential areas, across their council estate and hub provision, including Park & Ride locations including solar generation and on site battery storage. He has responsibility for the Leeds Air Quality strategy and delivery of the action plan for improvement and also engagement and work with the Combined Authority on Transport decarbonisation, EV and air quality strategy development.

Moderator

Dr. Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi is the founding director of the City Diplomacy Lab. He is a lecturer in City Diplomacy at Columbia Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE | Paris), Sciences Po – PSIA, and École Polytechnique.

He regularly advises international organizations, national governments, city networks, and municipalities on how to fully unfold the added value of city diplomacy.

Author of City Diplomacy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020), he holds a dual PhD in Political Theory from École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS, Paris) and Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali (LUISS, Rome).