Taking
place in Madrid from 2 to 13 December, COP 25 will focus on the implementation
of the Paris Climate Agreement. Researchers from the Institute for Advanced
Sustainability Studies (IASS) are contributing to many different events at the
conference (see below for more details). They are also offering:
On 3 December
2019, an event at the EU Pavilion will bring together researchers from three
IASS teams to present their work. “Mobilizing
Co-Benefits and Raising NDC Ambition with Just Transition Perspectives: Latin
America Context“, will highlight work from the IASS
project “Co-benefits
Mexico“, which works together with the Mexican bureau of
the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) to accelerate climate
action by identifying and facilitating the social and economic benefits of
renewable energy expansion. Héctor Rodriguez Chávez
will speak for the “Co-Benefits”
project, while Deborah
Ferreira will present work from the project “Transforming the Amazon“,
and Laima Eicke
will present the recent IASS Policy Brief Countering the risk of an uneven
low-carbon energy transition – read
the publication here.
IASS
co-hosts events at the COP: Air quality and climate action
On 4 December,
the IASS will co-host an official side event of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) titled “Strengthening Climate Promises:
Near-term Mitigation via Joint Action on NDC Provisions and Air Quality“.
IASS Scientific Director
Mark Lawrence and scientist Kathleen Mar
will discuss how an integrated approach to climate action and clean air
protection can boost efforts to achieve climate goals and generate additional
benefits at the same time. This event will be moderated by IASS scientist Charlotte Unger.
Mark Lawrence
will also speak at the UNFCCC side event “Inspiring
Courage to Act and Adapt in a Climate Emergency“. He will
give a talk at a similar event “The
power of cooperation between science, faith and political movements: Being
effective in climate action and enhance climate resilience” on
11 December, which will be moderated by researcher Carolin Fraude
from the IASS.
IASS
covers technical solutions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions
Matthias Honegger
will participate in three events on the COP topic “Climate Engineering in Science, Society
and Politics“: At the side event “Climate Strategies”
on 4 December he will give a lecture on “The role of removals for achieving net-zero emissions for
implementing the Paris Agreement“. On 6 December Honegger
will introduce the topic of “Carbon
Dioxide Removal and Net-Zero climate Targets” at a panel
discussion in the Nordic Pavilion. And on December 9, he will chair an IASS
Dialogue and Reflection Session with Janos Pasztor of C2G, where participants
will develop their vision of a climate-neutral future.
IASS
research focus: Ocean governance and co-benefits
UNFCCC Parties
have come to the understanding that the ocean is an integral part of the
climate system. The “Blue”
COP will put the ocean centre stage: IASS researcher and ocean
expert Torsten
Thiele will speak at the EU Pavilion on 4 December on
“From Science to
Action: Ocean Climate Policy Recommendations“. On 5
December, he will also take part in the German Pavilion “From the Arctic MOSAIC Expedition to
Ocean Acidification“. Thiele will also participate in two
further events in connection with the negotiations at the COP: the “Ocean Climate Roadmap”
on 6 December, and the “Climate
finance for coastal resilience – what is next for Blue Natural Capital?”
on 9 December in the EIB / Benelux Pavilion.
A launch event
for the “Social and
Economic Co-Benefits of Renewable Energy and Climate Action”
(Co-benefits) will also take place on 3 December in the EU Pavilion. IASS
researcher Mara
Gomez will present health co-benefits and their impact on
policy making in Vietnam, Turkey and India at the event “Air quality and climate action”.
The Co-Benefits project will also host a Dialogue Session in the Blue Zone on 5
December as well as a panel discussion on the “Social and Economic Co-Benefits of
Renewable Energy and Climate Action” at the Turkish
Pavilion on the following day.
New:
IASS hosts Co-Creative Reflection & Dialogue Space in the Blue Zone
The IASS will
also host a “Reflection & Dialogue Space” throughout the entire
two weeks of the climate conference in Madrid. The space, which was conceived
and developed by IASS researcher Carolin Fraude, will provide an alternative
setting for meetings and discussions around the issues addressed at the COP.
Two sessions per day will be dedicated as Reflection and Dialogue sessions. Sessions will also be
hosted by other IASS researchers like Nicole de Paula,
who will talk about “Women
Leaders for Planetary Health“.
The sessions
will generally be an hour long, starting with a five-minute flash talk. The
concept was developed with the goal of fostering interactions and promoting
trust as a foundation for open exchange. The space is open to all COP
participants who wish to explore alternatives and to reflect on and discuss
sustainability issues in dialogue with other delegates.