Week of 17 – 23rd August 2020

Turning user feedback into smart digital design. Better food, less carbon in the new digital economy. Reaching zero with renewables in transport and industry. Climate smart cooling solutions for sustainable buildings. The new energy landscape: COVID-19, climate change and diversification. Soil as a climate solution. Climate migration and displaced people. Find out about these and more online events of the week!

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17 August, 9:00 – 10:00 PM CEST (3:00 PM EST)
“Climate Migration and Displaced People” (by American Bar Association)

As many as a billion people could be displaced by climate change, sea-level rise, and extreme weather events over the next 50 years. Internally displaced people and climate refugees are increasing in number around the world, and the challenges are only getting more complex. Conflict, terrorism, poverty are exacerbated by climate change and the resulting pressures on food sources, land use, and water access. Lawyers play a central role in facilitating the advancement of law and governance to plan for and manage climate refugees and IDPs; lawyers also protect clients by helping them to prepare for the changes ahead. Thinking about how the world will change over the coming decades and the unprecedented human migration that will result is now a necessity for professionals at every level. Panelists will discuss the central legal and social issues surrounding climate migration and refugees.

17 August, 2:00 – 3:00 PM CEST
“Introduction to the governance of large-scale Carbon Dioxide Removal” (by C2G)

This event is a part of Campfire Chat series aiming to provide insights into diverse viewpoints on the governance of large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR), in a relatively informal, moderated, semi-structured discussion between experts. This online event seeks to answer the following questions: Why is it important to talk about large-scale CDR and the need for governance now? What are the types of CDR approaches, and what are their potential benefits, risks and governance challenges? What are the key governance gaps? How might these gaps be addressed?


18 August, 2:30 – 3:30 PM CEST (8:30 AM EST)
“The Shadow Blue Economy: Tackling Organised Crime in Fisheries” (by World Resources Institute – WRI)

Organised crime in the fisheries sector diverts legitimate government revenue away from boosting national economic growth to criminal enterprises. With many countries struggling to re-build their economies in a post-Covid-19 world, this hinders both economic growth and post-Covid-19 recovery. This webinar will launch the latest Blue Paper commissioned by the Ocean Panel ‘Organised Crime in the Fisheries Sector’. This presents the current state of knowledge on organised crime in the fisheries sector in the context of the pursuit of a sustainable ocean economy.

18 August, 3:00 – 3:30 PM CEST
“Reaching zero with renewables in transport and industry” (by IRENA)

Decarbonisation of some transport (road freight, aviation and shipping) and industry (chemicals and petrochemicals, iron and steel, cement and lime, aluminium) sectors by 2060 will be very challenging due to limited viable options. Renewables, supplemented with other options, can play a central role in these sectors and can make an early but significant difference that would help build confidence and scale. This webinar will share early insights from the upcoming IRENA’s report ‘Reaching Zero with Renewables’ and from the recent IRENA’s advice provided to the G20 Climate Stewardship Working Group on the use of renewables in the challenging industry and transport sectors.

18 August, 3:45 – 7:45 PM CEST (8:45 AM CDT)
“The New Energy Landscape: COVID-19, Climate Change and Diversification” (by University of Houston)

Join energy and climate law experts, energy general counsel, negative carbon technology business entrepreneurs and Blank Rome attorneys as they take stock and make sense of the new post-COVID world of energy in the Special 2020 North American Conference Webinar Edition. Among the questions covered: the future as seen by energy company general counsel, discussion of the first survey on energy workers return to work, the latest from the leaders in negative emissions technology.

18 August, 5:30 – 7:00 PM CEST (8:30 AM PDT)
“Impact of Energy on Trade, Security & Geopolitics of the 21st Century” (by Stanford University)

A conversation with 34th U.S. Secretary of Commerce on the impact of current energy trends on economic growth and energy poverty around the world, international trade and security, as well as geopolitics of the 21st century.


19 August
“C3S User Learning Services online training event, Finland” (by Copernicus Climate Change Service – C3S)

First day of a training programme focusing on helping participants to develop a climate service using a climate adaptation case study, supported by the Climate Data Store (CDS) and its toolbox in the selection and analysis of relevant climate data. A team of trainers will guide and give support to the participants throughout the steps of the training. The programme aims at sectoral end users, consultants & researchers, MSc and PhD Students, climatologists & data experts.

19 August, 10:00 – 11:00 AM CEST
“Ramping up Carbon Capture and Storage in European Industry” (by AHK Norwegen)

According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is needed to prevent the increase of the earth’s temperature by 1,5 degrees. The Norwegian Government is likely to come to an investment decision on the so-called Norwegian full-scale CCS project some time during 2020, and 2021 at the latest. This seminar looks at how the discussion on CCS is developing in Germany. Is CCS already a viable alternative for European industry, despite high technology costs and a low price on CO2?

19 August, 10:00 – 11:30 AM CEST
“Climate smart cooling solutions for sustainable buildings in Africa” (by UNFCCC)

Cooling is essential to human health and quality of life, and became more important with rapid urbanization and economies growth, and the effects of climate change. Needs of access to cooling vary from those of big companies to those of poor rural populations; from large buildings in cities to small huts in remote villages. The meeting will discuss new sustainable solutions for cooling that take into consideration climate impacts and new societal needs, policies that should be developed and put in place so as to optimize the use of energy and resources, challenges that prevent the private sector from investing on clean and sustainable building and contribute to transformational changes.

19 August, 10:00 – 11:00 AM CEST
“Local Governments and Municipal Authorities Roadmap Towards COP26” (by ICLEI)

Head of ICLEI Global Advocacy orients local governments on the important issues of multilevel governance and where we are in the global climate negotiations.

19 August, 10:30 – 11:30 AM CEST
“Covid Aftermath: Can Sustainable Finance Help India Shape a Green and Inclusive Recovery?” (by Climate Bonds Initiative)

India lockdown, largest in the world, put brakes nearly on all economic activity, except in agriculture. Nearly 120 million people have lost their jobs. Phasing out of the lockdown, the trajectory of covid cases remains uncertain making economic revival slower than expected. Many governments across the world have proposed green stimulus and recovery plans to stay the course on climate change. Can India craft a recovery strategy with sustainable development at its heart?

19 August, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CEST
“What’s next for offshore wind?” (by Global Wind Energy CouncilGWEC)

Global offshore wind capacity will surge to over 234 GW by 2030 from 29.1 GW at the end of 2019, led by exponential growth in the Asia-Pacific region and continued strong growth in Europe, according to a new report from GWEC. The report highlights that offshore wind is truly going global, with rapid growth in new markets and new technology innovations such as floating offshore wind, megaturbines and Power-to-X opening new opportunities for the industry and to reach the world’s decarbonisation goals. Governments are also quickly realising the role that offshore wind technology can play in kick-starting green recovery as the industry has demonstrated its resilience throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Join this webcast to hear additional insights from the report authors and offshore wind experts to answer all your questions about what’s next for the offshore wind industry.

19 August, 2:00 – 3:30 PM CEST
“Environmental coordination in emergencies: localisation and lockdown challenges” (by UNEP, UN OCHA and National Institute of Disaster Management – NIDM)

The webinar is a part of online event series “Environment and Emergencies in the face of COVID-19”. The webinars are devoted to readiness for and response to the environmental dimensions of emergencies, with a special focus on managing these challenges in the face of COVID-19. Register here.

19 August, 4:00 – 4:30 PM CEST
“Tackling Inequalities for Planetary Health” (by Women Leaders for Planetary Health – WLPH and Potsdam Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies – IASS)

A conversation with UN Environment Programme Executive Director Ms Inger Andersen. This webinar is part of coffee break series “Knowledge for Change – One Sip at Time”, a 30min dialogue with inspiring leaders from around the world.

19 August, 5:00 – 6:00 PM CEST (11:00 AM EST)
“Accelerating Latin America’s Energy Transformation: RE and Economic Recovery” (by Latin-American Organization of Energy – OLADE and International Renewable Energy Agency – IRENA)

The webinar is promoting dialogue among governments, development partners and regional and multilateral institutions on the regional and national perspectives for accelerating energy transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean. Based on the global and Latin America and Caribbean specific findings of IRENA’s Global Renewables Outlook 2020 and Renewable Power Generation Costs 2019 report, the event will provide a regional platform for the discussion on the ongoing efforts to accelerate the region’s energy transformation and deep decarbonisation while exploring enhanced collaboration and synergies among key regional stakeholders. The webinar will also consider actions needed to advance a transformation of the energy systems in Latin America and the Caribbean


20 August, 4:00 – 5:30 AM CEST (3:00 PM West Samoan Time)
“Laying the Pacific building blocks for a global agreement to combat plastic pollution” (by WWF, CIEL and Environmental Investigation Agency)

As the scale of the plastic crisis is being increasingly documented, it is already clear that the large-ocean small-island developing states of the Pacific will pay a disproportionately heavy price for its ecological, economic, social, cultural and health impacts. How are the Pacific island nationsresponding to the global plastic crisis? Have the measures taken having the expected results? What are the regional initiatives in place to address plastic pollution? Would the plastic pollution problem in the Pacific benefit from a global solution? How can Pacific voices be heard for the safeguard of their interests in the upcoming UNEA negotiations towards a plastic global agreement?

20 August, 5:00 – 6:00 AM CEST (1:00 PM AEST)
“Climate risk in the grains and wine grape industry – frameworks to support the discussion between climate science and growers?” (by Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, South Australian Research and Development Institute – SARDI)

Applying climate science to agriculture should be easy, farmers like talking about the weather and climate science has plenty to talk about. Nevertheless, linking modest improvements in forecasts to on-farm decision making has been more challenging than first thought. This seminar will give an overview of frameworks that use Decision Analysis to aid these conversations. Speakers will share examples of decision making on a grain farm and discuss a crop protection example from viticulture. They will conclude that time should be spent discussing the logic of the climate sensitive decision before discussing the forecast.

20 August, 8:00 – 9:00 AM CEST (2:00 PM EST)
“Solutions for a Plastic-Free Future for Nature” (by WWF)

Nature has long taught us that change is key to survival. And with plastic pollution entering our oceans at a rate of one dump truck per minute—threatening the habitats and ecosystems on which we and many species depend—change can’t wait. In response, WWF has embarked on a global initiative to turn this faucet of pollution off and with a vision of No Plastic in Nature by 2030. Join the webinar to hear from WWF’s Head of Plastic Waste and Business to learn more about the scope and scale of this global crisis — and why solving it isn’t as simple as ditching a straw habit.

20 August, 10:00 – 11:00 AM CEST
“Amsterdam is looking for AI solutions on mobility and energy to accelerate carbon neutrality” (by AI4Cities)

Amsterdam aims to be climate neutral by 2050. To achieve that, the City will work to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 55% from 1990 levels in 2030 and by 95% by 2050. Want to know more about why Amsterdam joined AI4Cities and what solutions we are looking for? Join the webinar to find out about the AI4Cities Project, why did Amsterdam join and what are our challenges.

20 August, 3:00 – 3:45 PM CEST
“Climate change and the power sector: quantifying the impact” (by AFRY)

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our generation and will have a massive effect on the power sector. The power sector is exposed to climate change directly, due to its reliance on existing weather and climate patterns. However the power sector is also affected by climate change indirectly, because governments’ approaches to decarbonisation may make some generation technologies more favourable than others. Understanding these risks is key to securing profitable business in future. In this webinar, experts will discuss how climate change will impact European power markets to 2050, specifically the changes in regional weather patterns; the effect on demand and generation; and the impact on power prices, revenues and profitability.

20 August, 3:00 – 4:15 PM CEST
“Blockchain – A facilitator for transparency in Climate Finance?” (by Climate Ledger Initiative)

Listen presentations by experts on: (1) Smart Contracts for Climate Risk Crop Insurances, (2) Green Bond Transparency Platform, (3) TruBudget – A Trusted Tool for Climate Finance.

20 August, 4:00 – 5:00 PM CEST (10:00 AM EST)
“Turning User Feedback Into Smart Digital Design” (by World Resources Institute – WRI)

Despite the growing stream of data being produced from satellites and ground sensors, it can still be a struggle to find the data you need. Resource Watch, WRI’s central open data visualization platform, is working to make it easier than ever for decision-makers, researchers, and journalists to access information. Resource Watch has just released version 2.0 of their Explore catalog which features over 300 open data sets on everything from climate change to water scarcity, food insecurity to flooding, and much more. This webinar will feature a presentation on the process of user testing, a demo of the new features of Resource Watch, and an open Q&A with experts.

20 August, 4:30 – 6:00 PM CEST
“Climate smart cooling solutions for sustainable buildings in Latin America and the Caribbean” (by UNFCCC)

Cooling is essential to human health and quality of life, and became more important with rapid urbanization and economies growth, and the effects of climate change. Needs of access to cooling vary from those of big companies to those of poor rural populations; from large buildings in cities to small huts in remote villages. The meeting will discuss new sustainable solutions for cooling that take into consideration climate impacts and new societal needs, policies that should be developed and put in place so as to optimize the use of energy and resources, challenges that prevent the private sector from investing on clean and sustainable building and contribute to transformational changes.

20 August, 6:30 – 9:00 PM CEST
“Choosing our future by design, not disaster” (by Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Global Footprint Network and University of Glasgow)

Earth Overshoot Day is the day when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that period. Choosing our future by design, not disaster is the centrepiece of this year’s global #MoveTheDate conversation and launches Earth Overshoot Day 2020. The virtual event brings together leading figures from business, politics, sustainability and academia from across the globe. Discussions will cover the importance of business, partnership and leadership in creating inclusive, sustainable, economic prosperity.

20 August, 7:00 – 8:00 PM CEST (10:00 AM PDT)
“Waste-to-Hydrogen: Local Renewable Hydrogen in Local Energy Resilience Hubs” (by Centre for Management Technology)

The global pursuit for aggressive greenhouse gas and waste reduction has prompted industry to look for interconnected and scalable solutions to battles climate change, waste and air quality issues. Meanwhile hydrogen has being touted as a promising decarbonizing replacement for fossil fuels, investment and mandate have been ploughed in to fast track the adoption and production of hydrogen in utilities, gas grid and transportation. Pairing the possibilities together, join the webinar for experts analysis and insights on hydrogen production from waste.


21 August, 7:15 – 8:45 PM CEST (1:15 PM EST)
“Better Food, Less Carbon in the New Digital Economy” (by Security and Sustainability Forum)

Smart systems can link agricultural stakeholders with farmers, ranchers, and foresters. Traditional agriculture negatively affects biodiversity and emits about 26% of global greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. The agriculture ecosystem comprises land use, crop production, livestock and fisheries, and the food supply chain. In this system lies meaningful, measurable, and sustainable regenerative applications that can greatly reduce the impact of agriculture on the planet. Farming data and smart technology solutions can combine to enable customers to make choices through market signals that can drive the industry to regenerative practices that both reduce atmospheric carbon, increase resilience and biodiversity in our food systems, and help improve farming profitability. Panelist from John Deere, Land O’Lakes and the Farmers Business Network explore opportunities to lower carbon emissions, improve biodiversity, and increase the resilience of foods systems world-wide by digitally connecting it from soil to fork.

21 August, 8:00 – 9:00 PM CEST (11:00 AM Pacific Time)
“Soil as a climate solution” (by The Climate Center)

Join experts for a conversation about the myriad benefits of carbon sequestration in farming and ranching for a climate-safe future. Presenters will provide an overview of how soil carbon sequestration works, examples from farms and ranches across California, and current and future policies for assessing and incentivizing this approach. Register here.