Climate Adaptation and Mitigation for the Built Environment

The built environment serves as a prominent symbol of urbanization, reflecting the way human societies have shaped their surroundings. Currently, approximately 55% of the global population resides in urban areas, with this figure projected to increase to 68% in 2050, according to the United Nations. Rapid urbanization worldwide means that every five days, the world adds buildings equivalent to the size of Paris, with the built environment sector already responsible for 37 percent of global emissions.

With climate change impacting cities and communities worldwide on a scale and intensity previously thought to be years away, the role of the built environment in contributing to climate change, as well as its preparedness to manage the worst of those impacts, becomes a critical aspect to explore.

Climate-related risks typically manifest either as physical risks - the direct impacts of climate change events on assets, infrastructure, and communities - or transition risks - the financial and operational risks associated with the transition to a low-carbon economy.

For the real estate sector, adapting to physical risks stemming from extreme weather events, floods, and wildfires is paramount, as is designing buildings with a lower environmental impact and developing roadmaps to reduce the resulting carbon emissions from construction and operational activities.

Join CEP Toronto and our panel of industry experts as they highlight how the Canadian built environment space is developing strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate-related risks.

Speakers:

• David MacMillan is Acting Manager with the City of Toronto’s Environment  & Climate Division, where he leads a team focused on planning for  low-carbon  development and energy systems. This includes implementing the Toronto  Green Standard, which aims for net zero new buildings by 2028, and  renewable energy programs such as SolarTO and Wastewater Energy. David  is currently focused on delivering mass timber affordable housing, and  creating online platforms to help energy developers leverage City-owned  assets  for renewable thermal energy projects. He holds a Master in  Environmental Studies (Planning), from York University and is a graduate  of the ULI Toronto's Curtner Urban Leadership Program.
• Irene Lam is a cleantech and climate professional with skills in  program design and management, strategy, partnerships, and  facilitation. She is experienced in leading diverse multi-stakeholder  initiatives to address complex problems and drive action. Prior to Mantle Developments, she spent nearly ten years supporting  cleantech innovators across start-ups, corporate and government  organizations to address barriers to innovation adoption to accelerate  and scale their climate impact. Most recently, she oversaw MaRS  Discovery District’s climate corporate partnerships, focused on  identifying and implementing innovative solutions to achieve net-zero  goals. She also managed their flagship climate program, Mission from  MaRS – an ambitious technology adoption program that supported 10 of Canada’s highest potential carbon-reducing solutions.
• Ali Hoss is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Triovest responsible for advancing sustainability performance, strategic growth, and technology innovation for a portfolio of $12B of commercial real estate in Canada. As the recipient of Globe and Mail Best Executives Award of 2024 and a distinguished winner of the Canada Energy Innovator Award by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) in 2020, Ali works in close partnership with some of the largest Pension Funds in Canada crafting and implementing strategies that balance financial goals with environmental sustainability, fostering value creation and asset resilience while adeptly navigating and mitigating potential risks.Ali is accredited as a professional engineer and holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. He is an author of book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, a sought-after public speaker, and a guest lecturer at universities. Before his tenure at Triovest, Ali's leadership was instrumental in shaping the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s (CIB) $1B public building retrofit financing program. He was also the architect behind the City of Toronto's ambitious policy strategy aimed at achieving net-zero emissions in existing buildings by the year 2050. 

This panel will be moderated by Shashanka Suresh, Director, Sustainability & ESG - Dream.