Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is the new vice-president of the World Energy Cities Partnership, a global group that connects energy capitals from every continent to foster sustainable energy production.
Calgary is the heart of Canada’s oil-and-gas sector, home to the headquarters of the country’s largest fossil-fuel companies. The city has been part of the WECP for many years, preceding Ms. Gondek’s election as mayor in 2021.
Ms. Gondek was selected as vice-president by members of the WECP during the group’s annual general meeting on Saturday in Stavanger, Norway. She succeeds Fahad Aljubair, mayor of Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
One of the benefits of WECP membership is sharing ideas and experiences with other cities that are home to energy-sector companies to help Calgary with its own changes amid climate concerns, Ms. Gondek said in an interview from Norway.
“There is absolutely an economic angle here which we are pursuing,” she said.
“If we can attract companies that have great ideas around carbon capture and storage, as well as other ways to increase energy efficiency and greater sustainability, then we’d like to welcome them to our city to share their ideas with us and work with the energy sector in that transformative process that we talk about so often.”
A big part of that is emphasizing the importance of environmental, social and governance principles, she said.
“If you’re not practising ESG, you’re not being taken seriously on a global stage. And so you have to do it for economic purposes as well as sustainability purposes.”
The WECP has been meeting annually since 1996 to discuss the latest challenges and opportunities associated with the energy sector and livable cities. Mayors and officials share expertise and explore opportunities to collaborate between their cities.
Other North American cities that are part of the WECP include St. John’s, Halifax and Houston. In 2009, member cities signed the Calgary Climate Change Accord, establishing a commitment to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
Wrapped into the trip to the WECP gathering was a stop in Oslo for meetings between Ms. Gondek, Calgary Economic Development, the Oslo mayor and various companies in the clean energy and energy efficiency sectors.
Ms. Gondek said in a statement after her appointment that her position would help put Calgary at the forefront during a pivotal time in worldwide energy transition, and help accelerate the transfer of knowledge on clean tech and decarbonization.