Highlights for Saturday, 9 March 2019
HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands with Forum participants
The official opening of the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment took place on Saturday, 9 March 2019. The opening ceremony included welcome statements by: Joyce Msuya, UNEP Deputy Executive Director; Xie Zhenhua, Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs, China; Siim Kiisler, UNEA-4 President; and Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Forestry, Kenya.HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands discussed the launch of a new initiative by the Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology (SEE) to voluntarily ban the use of rhino-based products across the Society's members.During high-level panel discussions, speakers highlighted diverse issues touching on the themes of: innovation for a low-carbon future and the role of non-state actors; accelerating clean energy for all; innovative finance for a green planet; artificial intelligence for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and green technology startups leading the “fourth industrial revolution”.Throughout the day, more than 20 sessions convened, organized around four parallel thematic streams. Amongst other topics, the sessions explored:
transforming development with planetary data and artificial intelligence;
messages from the Sixth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6) on the environmental and health impacts of energy, waste and food systems;
making trade a positive force in the world;
the contribution of new policies and technologies in combating lead;
putting the world on a safe path to meet the challenge of limiting global warming to 1.5°C";
earth observations and the role of citizen science;
the role of South-South Cooperation in attaining clean and affordable energy in Africa;
innovation in the energy sector and the future of sustainability;
the climate challenge and non-state actors; and
advancing environmental rights in business.
In the evening, HRH Princess Laurentien and the SEE hosted a reception to mark the launch of the SEE initiative.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage and a summary report from the 2nd Global Session of the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment. The summary report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon
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Opening of the Forum
View of the opening plenary
Xie Zhenhua, Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs, China
Joyce Msuya, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP
UNEA-4 President Siim Kiisler, Minister of Environment of Estonia
Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Forestry, Kenya
HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands
Rhian-Mari Thomas, Global Head of Green Banking and Chair, Barclays Green Banking Council
Wayne Balta, IBM
Jian Liu, Chief Scientist, UNEP
Energy Systems: Environmental and Health Impacts
View of the session on GEO findings
Paolo Soprano, Co-Chair, High-Level Group (HLG)
Huang Yi, Co-Chair, HLG
Joyeeta Gupta, Co-Chair of the GEO assessment
Paul Ekins, Co-Chair of the GEO assessment
Cristina Guerreiro, Norwegian Institute for Air Research
Martin Brocklehurst, Citizen Science Global Partnership
Nijavalli Ravindranath, Indian Institute of Science
Fast Tracking the SDGs Using Frontier Technologies
Jehiel Oliver, Hello Tractor
Bruno da Costa, IBM
Hendrick Hamann, IBM
Ajay Deshpande, IBM
The Climate Challenge and Non-State Actors
Anne Bowser, President, Citizen Science Alliance
L-R: Gayle Schueller, 3M; Rhian-Mari Thomas, Barclays Green Banking Council; and Jian Liu, Chief Scientist, UNEP
Towards Global Green Energy Transition: Empowering Policies and Innovative Finance
Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public and Government Affairs, Signify
Marta Juarez Ruiz, Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN-Habitat, Costa Rica
Big Data, New Frontier
Pascal Peduzzi, Global Resource Information Database
Neil Burgess, Chief Scientist, UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC)
Maurice Borgeaud, European Space Agency (ESA)
Adam Smith, Descartes Labs
L-R: Andrew Zolli, Planet.com; Cécile Thomas-Courcoux, France; and Jean Dusart, European Commission
Advancing the African Science Enterprise
L-R: Erica Key, Belmont Forum; Phethiwe Matutu, National Research Foundation, South Africa; Makyba Charles-Ayind, American Academy for the Advancement of Science; and Nelson Torto, African Academy of Sciences
Makyba Charles-Ayind, American Academy for the Advancement of Science
Phethiwe Matutu, NRF South Africa
Making Trade a Positive Force in the World
L-R: Tim Christophersen, UNEP; Izabella Monica Vieira Teixiera, International Resource Panel (IRP); Sileshi Getahun Hailu, INBAR Trustee Ethiopia; Hermine Kleymann, WWF International; and Helen Crowley, Kering
Tim Christophersen, UNEP
Izabella Monica Vieira Teixiera, IRP
Innovation in the Energy Sector and the Future of Sustainability
L-R: Harry Verhaar, Phillips Lighting/Signify; UNEA-4 President Siim Kiisler, Minister of Environment of Estonia; Paul De Larminat, Johnson Controls; Kristina Klimovich, PACE Nation Fellow; and Jonathan Everhart, Global ReEnergy Holdings
The Power of Integrated Action on Air Poluttion: Stories from China and Africa - South-South Cooperation
L-R: Jianhua Yu, China; Gyimah Mohammed, Ghana; Bala Abubakar Bappa, CCAC; Ruth Sego, ClimateWorks Foundation; Steven Kukoda, International Copper Association; and Naysán Sahba, UNEP
Accelerating Africa's Shift to Electric Mobility
Dais during the session on electric mobility
Putting the World on a Safe Path to meet the 1.5 °C Challenge
L-R: Naysán Sahba, UNEP, Pavel Kabat, Chief Scientist, World Meteorological Organisation; Helena Molin Valdes, Head, Climate and Clean Air Coalition Secretariat (CCAC); Rodolfo Lacy, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); and Johan Kuylenstierna, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
Combating Lead: From Paint to Batteries
L-R: Tadesse Amera Sahilu, Co-Chair, International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN); Jacqueline Alvarez, UNEP; and Brian Wilson, International Lead Association
Attaining Clean Affordable Energy in Africa: Role of South-South Cooperation
L-R: Kitio Vincent, UN-Habitat, and Huang Han, Global Energy Interconnection
Food Systems: Environment and Health Impacts
Dais during the session on food systems