Aug 18, 2020
Wonder what it's like to work in
climate change mitigation at ground level? James Byrne is the
Climate Change Coordinator for the City of Peterborough, Ontario,
Canada. Job shadow with him on this episode, a lively discussion
with host Vin Nelsen. Check out: Working in Climate Change at
Ground Level: Conversation with James Byrne (Multi-Hazards Podcast
S02 E10). With Study Guide: Click where it says PDF on the top
left! On Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc.
https://multi-hazards.libsyn.com/tackling-climate-change-at-the-local-level-conversation-with-james-byrne
BIO - James Byrne
Observing the state of the global climate deteriorating sparked in him a deep call to action. With the carbon clock persistently ticking away to unfathomable bleakness, he decided to engage and make this his life’s work. That decision led him to enroll and graduate from the University of Waterloo’s Master of Climate Change program. After graduating, he worked for Sustainable Peterborough in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, as the organization’s Climate Change Coordinator. He was primarily tasked with assisting eight rural townships and two First Nation communities in chronicling climate actions to date and assessing the levels of greenhouse gas emissions emanating from each community.
Presently he's the Climate Change Coordinator for the City of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. In this role, he monitors and evaluates the extent of greenhouse gas emissions being emitted from municipally-owned assets and from the broader community composed of residents and businesses. One key project he's currently working towards is establishing a city-wide home energy retrofit program. The goal of the program is to alleviate the extensive high energy demand of Peterborough’s older residential homes.
Lastly, his career aspirations are focused on making all municipalities in Ontario, Canada, more resilient to climate disruptions. This is coupled with decreasing the high-carbon lifestyles of residents and transitioning businesses to adopt climate-friendly business practices in communities. Achieving both goals will protect communities locally and aligns with the global climate justice movement. By 2050 he will know if he's succeeded or missed the target by a county mile. Wish him luck!