Youth championing climate action in agriculture. Shifting sustainability from the margin to the mainstream. Building biodiversity into business strategy. Hurricanes and storm surge in a changing climate. Water rising: equitable approaches to urban flooding. Capacity building to address climate change in the least developed countries. Optimizing design and mitigating risks in mini-grids and distributed electricity generation. Find out about these and more online events of the week!
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10 August, 5:30 – 6:30 AM CEST (1:30 PM AEST)
“Collision of Crises: Covid-19 and Climate Change” (by IAPSS Oceania – International Association for Political Science Students)
Can COVID-19 become a stimulus for climate action in terms of both policy and human impact? The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has been overwhelming for the entire international community, with an immense domestic, economic, housing, and logistical knock-on effect. However, as devasting as this is, the fallout from climate change will be that much more challenging, not only for policymakers but the people that it’s affecting disproportionately. Join a discussion on the ins and outs of COVID-19 and climate change.
10 August, 12:00 – 1:30 PM CEST (4:00 PM Bangladesh)
“Capacity Building to Address Climate Change in the Least Developed Countries” (by International Centre for Climate Change and Development – ICCCAD)
The importance of capacity building to address climate change cannot be overstated. Globally, about 70% of the developing country NDCs and 83% of the LDC NDCs submitted to the UNFCCC put capacity building as a condition to implement their NDCs. This need for capacity building support overwhelms other kinds of international assistance including for climate finance. Capacity building as a non-politicized agenda under the politically charged UNFCCC process is coming up as a very important issue. The event will follow a brief presentation on capacity building, followed with a panel discussion where designated discussants will focus on the importance of the long term capacity building needs for different stakeholders in the LDCs as well as how this can be achieved.
10 August, 3:00 – 4:00 PM CEST (9:00 AM EST)
“A High BAR for BIG Ideas: Belt And Road for a Black Into Green Future” (by Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT)
Increased energy demand will accompany the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, but if this recovery is met by hydrocarbons, the subsequent acceleration of climate change and accompanying domestic, international, and migration conflicts will dwarf the damage caused by COVID-19. During the webinar you will hear about a means by which development of renewable energy systems can meet energy and employment needs and be financed through investments by hydrocarbon companies in lieu of carbon taxes and long-term visionary governments. Specific technology examples will be provided with suggestions for short- and long-term development projects and strategies. Register here.
10 August, 4:00 – 5:00 PM CEST (10:00 AM EST)
“Strengthening the EU Emission Trading System: Its Impact, Unintended Consequences & Overlapping Policies” (by International Association for Energy Economics – IEAA)
To provide a strong price signal for greenhouse gas emissions abatement, Europe decided to strengthen the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) by implementing a market stability reserve (MSR) that includes a cancellation policy and to increase the rate at which the emissions cap decreases. In this talk, we show via a detailed long-term planning model that this strengthened EU ETS may quadruple EUA prices and may decrease cumulative CO2 emissions. Register here.
11 August, 1:00 – 2:00 PM CEST
“Market barriers: What they are, how to identify them, and why are they important for your project?” (by E Co.)
What are market barriers? How can we identify them? Why is conducting a market barrier analysis for a climate project crucial for project design? What are the different ways to examine and communicate market barriers? This workshop is designed to support you in increasing the success of your project proposals, so your project designs will address the specific needs of your chosen country, match the priorities of funders and key stakeholders, at the appropriate scale. This session is for readiness and implementing partners – from National Designated Authorities or Focal points and Accredited and implementing entities and will be relevant to all climate funds such as the GCF, GEF, NAMA facility and Adaptation Fund. It is for anyone in the project development process who is involved in, or interested in learning about, analysing market barriers for project design.
11 August, 2:00 – 3:00 PM CEST
“Nature-based solutions: Opportunities & Challenges for African cities” (by ICLEI)
Nature-based solutions (NBS) have gained traction globally as a way to address, or partially address, vexing urban issues such as urban heat, pollution and flooding. This webinar addresses the issue of variable interpretations of NBS and presents the latest thinking on the interpretation of NBS. In addition, our interest is also in whether and how this concept and practice is finding application in African cities. The webinar will showcase some of the NBS tools and actual examples of NBS implementation that have been developed in a selection of African cities. Invited speakers and panelists will discuss the application of NBS and related tools within an African context and some of the challenges that have been experienced along the way.
11 August, 4:00 – 5:00 PM CEST (10:00 AM EST)
“How Can Climate Change Disclosures Protect Reputation and Value?” (by Institute of International Finance – IIF)
As calls for companies to operate and invest responsibly grow, so does the need for them to disclose how climate change may impact their operations and what steps they are taking to respond. In this session, EY will provide a snapshot of the progress organizations are making in their climate disclosures, presenting the latest data and insights from our 2019 Global Climate Risk Disclosure Barometer. While progress on climate related reporting and coverage against the recommendations by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) has been made, there is still a lot organizations can do to improve disclosures, protect reputation and create value…
11 August, 7:00 – 8:00 PM CEST (1:00 PM EST)
“Valuing Resilience in Solar+Storage Microgrids: A New Critical Load Tiering Approach” (by Clean Energy States Alliance – CESA and Clean Energy Group)
Finding an appropriate way to determine the value of resilience – keeping the lights on, essential loads powered, and critical services up and running – has been a common struggle for microgrid projects, particularly projects providing difficult to quantify community services. Based on real world experience with the design and implementation of solar+storage microgrids, the nonprofit Clean Coalition has developed a standardized and straightforward methodology for valuing resilience. Join the webinar to find out more. Register here.
11 August, 8:00 – 9:00 PM CEST (2:00 PM EST)
“Water Rising: Equitable Approaches to Urban Flooding” (by US Water Alliance)
From localized flood events to extreme storms, hurricanes, and rising sea levels, floodwaters are rising around the nation. Water knows no jurisdictional boundaries, but flooding impacts often do. Historical injustices and a lack of infrastructure investment have left low-income communities and communities of color in low-lying areas that flood more frequently. The compounding risks posed by climate change demand coordinated and proactive thinking, policies, and investments. This webinar will discuss urban flooding challenges and feature the five priority actions from the report. Attendees will also hear lessons learned from ongoing efforts to implement equitable flood resilience in different US cities — Houston, Texas and Raleigh — including innovative methods for shared decision-making, community oversight, no-new development regulations, and the implementation of an equity provision for infrastructure investments. Register here.
11 August, 9:30 – 10:30 PM CEST (3:30 PM EST)
“Women in infrastructure: Energy panel” (by Deloitte)
Are you interested in learning more about potential directions the infrastructure workforce may head in the future? From clients to industry to personal challenges, so much will likely change as we move forward. Discussion will include the following topics with insights from women leaders in the energy sector:
– The state of the energy infrastructure today
– Where might the energy industry be headed in the workforce of tomorrow?
– What it means to be a woman leader in the energy industry?
– How can you advocate for yourself and others?
12 August, Time TBC
“Youth engagement in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change” (by UNDRR, UNICEF, UNESCO and IFRC)
Webinar’s objective is to showcase youth’s role in preparing to disaster and fostering resilience to climate change in the Americas and the Caribbean. Speakers include youth activists from Jamaica and Costa Rica.
12 August, 1:30 – 2:30 PM CEST (5:00 PM IST)
“Paths Towards Climate Justice – Adaptation and Community Actions” (by Madras Café Unlocked, India)
Climate justice and just transitions are vital responses to the climate emergency. Adaptation is vital for many ‘climate frontier’ communities. What is necessary and possible will be discussed by practitioners from different parts of India. Great attention has been given internationally to mitigation actions, brought together at the COP summits and the 2015 Paris Declaration which mandated national, timetabled programmes of action. However, support for adaptation to the actual and likely effects of climate change is worryingly low. How we can and must respond will be discussed by practitioners from different parts of India.
12 August, 2:00 – 3:00 PM CEST
“Youth Championing Climate Action in Agriculture” (by FAO)
The webinar will showcase proactive youth initiatives, including sustainable practices and measures that create or contribute to the social, economic, and environmental stability, while facing the impacts of climate change. There is a need to ensure youth are fully included in programmes, agriculture value chain, rural development, and policy decisions.
12 August, 4:00 – 5:00 PM CEST (10:00 AM EST)
“Energy Security: Challenges and Solutions” (by International Association for Energy Economics – IEAA)
After the crisis of COVID-19, there is a general consensus of all countries to support energy transition connecting the decarbonization process to energy security, that will remain an important issue of the world energy policy and the key for a more resilient society. This webinar will do a short survey of the main energy security problems in every major sector, with a particular accent on the importance of the energy storage, of the digitization and the new technologies and of the energy efficiency as a cost-effective manner to sustain regional or national, long-term and short-term energy security. The debate will focus on analyzing the possible solutions to help navigate out of this turbulent situation, towards more secure and sustainable energy systems. Register here.
12 August, 5:00 – 6:00 PM CEST (10:00 AM Panama Time)
“Strengthening Early Action Early Warning Systems” (by UNDRR, UNFCCC and IFRC)
Objective of this webinar is to advocate for the implementation and improvement of early warning, early action in the region, especially as we are preparing for a gradual return to a new normality in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Register here.
12 August, 5:00 – 6:00 PM CEST
“The business of nature: building biodiversity into your strategy” (by University of Cambridge, Institute for Sustainability Leadership)
As the world is getting to grips with the global pandemic many businesses are now looking to ensure their short- and long-term viability. Covid-19 has brought into question our relationship with nature and as governments and companies explore what a green recovery to the pandemic could look like, resilience and strategy are becoming core to the debate. Many businesses are highly dependent on nature for the provision of goods and services, and some are setting bold ambitions to restore biodiversity. But how can organisations with complex global supply chains assess the impacts that they are having on nature and biodiversity? And what do they need to do to develop robust corporate strategies to develop and deliver their commitments on nature? Register here.
12 August, 5:00 – 6:00 PM CEST
“Starting and scaling effective climate change conversations: Why health matters” (by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
This event is a part of “Climate, Environment, and Health” seminar series: a series of compelling scientific talks on how climate change affects human health and the role of environmental health science in achieving climate sustainability and resilience. Register here.
12 August, 5:00 – 6:00 PM CEST (10:00 AM CDT)
“Hurricanes and Storm Surge in a Changing Climate” (by South Central – Climate Adaptation Science Center and Louisiana State University)
This event is a part of the Climate 101 workshops covering a variety of topics including the basics of how the climate system works, interpretation of different climate projections and resources for decision makers and climate adaptation planning. Attendees are given a chance to participate in an optional, interactive training session that focuses on making adaptation decisions based on climate projections for a given area. Register here.
12 August, 5:00 – 6:30 PM CEST (8:00 AM Pacific Time)
“Customer Distributed Energy Resources in Wholesale Markets” (by EPRI and Stanford University Bits & Watts Initiative)
The Digital Grid is the next frontier of electric grid modernization, integrating technologies in embedded sensing, advanced intelligence, data analytics and cloud computing to leverage customer-sited distributed energy resources (DERs) to enhance grid flexibility and thereby ensure reliable, safe, affordable, and sustainable electric service for customers. Actualizing the Digital Grid requires an enabling data platform that standardizes how data from customer technologies and resources interface with the grid. This includes defining data interchange requirements among diverse stakeholders and developing supporting systems integration, data security, and data analytics tools, all under the auspices of data governance policies that advance customer choice and control. Join this session featuring representatives of California Independent System Operator.
13 August, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM CEST
“Technology solutions to scale up corporate renewable energy sourcing” (by World Business Council for Sustainable Development – WBCSD)
More information and registration via singhvi@wbcsd.org.
13 August, 10:30 AM -12:00 PM CEST (2:00 PM IST)
“Shifting Sustainability from the Margin to the Mainstream” (by Council on Energy, Environment and Water – CEEW)
This online event is a part of high-level webinar series. The session will feature a keynote address by Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), followed by a panel discussion. Register here.
13 August, 1:00 – 2:00 AM CEST (12 August, 7:00 PM EST)
“Beating the Climate Crisis” (by Neighbours for the Planet)
Evidence of the climate crisis is all around us. From raging wildfires, to melting glaciers, to severe weather events and rising sea levels, we are all affected. The solutions are at hand. Join experts from Neighbours for the Planet for a slide presentation to learn more about the climate crisis and solutions. And most importantly, what you can do to help.
13 August, 1:00 – 2:30 PM CEST
“Experience sharing on long-term strategies in least developed countries” (by International Institute for Environment and Development – IIED)
This webinar will focus on sharing the experiences of least developed countries (LDCs) in the process of developing their long-term strategies addressing climate change (LTS) to showcase not just the unique opportunities to be reaped in the process, but facilitate dialogue on common challenges and concerns. LDC practitioners who are leading their country’s LTS work will share lessons learned and key success factors so far. They will also share context-specific motivations for undergoing this voluntary international commitment. Register here.
13 August, 4:00 – 5:00 PM CEST (8:00 AM MDT)
“Optimizing Design & Mitigating Risks in Mini-Grids & Distributed Generation” (by HOMER Energy by UL)
Microgrids, solar panels, and energy storage are coming together to bring power to places where it never could exist before. With a focus on Africa, this webinar will explore some of the challenges with creating and supporting sustainable remote mini-grids. Experts will discuss best practice design choices, cost-effective operation and maintenance, and managing remote access issues.
13 August, 4:00 – 5:30 PM CEST
“Climate change and decarbonisation – scientists, decision-makers and lawyers: a necessary long-term commitment” (by Environment, Health and Safety Committee of the International Bar Association)
Our world has never before been so interconnected and as citizens and professionals, we have never had so much real-time and multilateral information at our disposal around the clock. However, in this new world and area of awareness the mere existence of climate change is still being questioned. To clear the mist and level the ground, this panel of experts will address in simple terms the science behind climate breakdown: What is happening? What caused it and what is there to expect? Why do we need an era of decarbonisation? In particular, the panel will focus on how lawyers can manage the scientific information available to ground actions in climate emergency matters. Decision-makers, lawyers and governments have the responsibility to know and understand the science and facts to better work to achieve sustainable development. Webinar is free only for IBA members.
13 August, 6:00 – 7:00 PM CEST (12:00 PM EST)
“Carbon Removal and Corporate Climate Commitments” (by Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy)
Join the webinar on corporate climate commitments and carbon removal. With many companies like Apple and Microsoft recently announcing net-zero (or net negative) commitments, now is the time to ask how carbon removal fits into these commitments. This webinar will explore how corporate commitments are likely to affect the development and deployment of carbon removal and how realistic these plans really are.
13 August, 8:00 – 9:00 PM CEST
“Managing Biodiversity in a Changing Climate” (by Join City Parks Alliance, World Urban Parks and World Parks Academy)
In this webinar, speakers will share strategies from their work in three geographically diverse cities – Leon, Riyadh and Melbourne. The speakers will share how they are using parks and urban forests as laboratories to understand the impacts of climate change and test effective adaptation and management strategies. Although each city faces unique climate challenges, their approaches to climate adaptation, education and research offer similar lessons for how to plan and manage parks and public spaces in a way that supports biodiversity in a rapidly changing climate. Speakers will share strategies for training and redeploying staff to engage them in ecological monitoring through their routine maintenance tasks, how to plan for and adapt flora, particularly trees, in anticipation of climate changes, and how to collect and share data regionally and internationally to inform adaptation efforts. Register here.