Leaders from business, government and international NGOs to speak at Climate Action’s Forum
Lord Nicholas Stern to join Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, and a host of global experts from business and the financial community at the 2013 Sustainable Innovation Forum alongside COP19
Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the Environment, and leading global economist Lord Nicholas Stern (pictured right), will join Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, and a host of global experts from business and the financial community to discuss innovative policies and actions to progress green growth at the 2013 Sustainable Innovation Forum.
The Forum will be the largest and most influential business summit alongside the COP19 process, bringing together leaders from business, government and international NGOs to facilitate public-private partnerships and business involvement in climate solutions.
The Forum will open at 10:00 CET at the InterContinental Hotel, Warsaw, Poland on 20 November and will feature four high-level plenary panel debates that will address the key themes of the climate change agenda.
The first of the plenary debates is titled 'Leaders in energy transition: How can we make low carbon infrastructures more viable?' and will include key contributions from Kersten-Karl Barth, Chair, Commission on Environment and Energy, ICC, and Sustainability Director, Siemens AG,and also the World Energy Council's Senior Director Policies & Scenarios, Karl Rose. The panel will address the challenges in transitioning to a low carbon economy and the innovative, cutting edge solutions to these.
Panel II, 'Technology innovation and transfer: What technologies should we be investing in?', will highlight the crucial role of innovative technological solutions and how private sector expertise and investment is helping to further theseinnovations. Members of the panel will include Lars Lokke Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark and Chairman, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and also the European Climate Foundation (ECF) CEO, Johannes Meier.
The days third panel; debate: 'Partnerships that make a difference: How can collaboration speed up the transformation to a green economy?' will see robust debate on how public-private partnerships are helping to shape the green economy and the focus areas that will need to be addressed in order to make this a success. Ville Niinistö, Minister of the Environment, Finland and Johan L. Kuylenstierna, Executive Director, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) will be among the prestigious panelists.
The final plenary debate of the day is entitled: 'The resource efficient city: Can all urban environments achieve genuine sustainable growth?' and will look at the challenges facing municipalities around the world in achieving sustainable growth. Speakers include Gino Van Begin, Secretary General at ICLEI, the Chief of the Inter-American Development Bank's Climate Change and Sustainability Division, Walter Vergara.
The Forum will also feature exclusive 'Climate Leader Insights' that will be delivered in between panel debates. These addresses will be made by some of the key individuals in the climate change and sustainable development arenas and will be a central element of the Climate Action Forum.
Attendance is strictly limited to 350 sustainability leaders to ensure debate and networking is of the highest level. It is an exclusive, invitation only event. To register your interest in attending please visit: www.cop19.org/registration
