Global Climate Change Conference in Madrid The IASS at COP25
22.11.2019
Taking place in Madrid from 2 to 13 December, the 25th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25) will focus on the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement. The conference, which was shifted to Madrid due to social unrest in Santiago de Chile, will take place under the Presidency of the Government of Chile. The Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) will be represented in Madrid by a number of experts, who will address a range of issues.
IASS scientists from several different teams will host and participate in numerous events at the COP25. Early in the first week, on 3 December 2019, an event at the EU Pavilion will bring together researchers from three different IASS teams to present their work. The event, "Mobilizing Co-Benefits and Raising NDC Ambition with Just Transition Perspectives: Latin America Context", will highlight workfrom 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 efforts to activate 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 on global justice, finance and technology as prerequisites for a just transition.
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 host the event and 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, which will be moderated by IASS scientist Charlotte Unger, will provide a platform for national and local stakeholders to grapple with the challenges of climate change and air quality together.
Director Lawrence will also speak at the UNFCCC side event "Inspiring Courage to Act and Adapt in a Climate Emergency". A subsequent panel discussion will explore how the Paris Agreement can be implemented in a spirit of solidarity and compassion and with policies that respect and protect rights, including human and indigenous peoples' rights. He will also speak in 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 Carolin Fraude, a researcher from the IASS.
IASS covers technical solutions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions
IASS researcher Matthias Honegger will participate in three events addressing the COP focus on climate technology, science, society and policymaking. On 4 December he will deliver a presentation at the "Climate Strategies" side event titled: "The Role of Removals for Achieving Net-zero Emissions for Implementing the Paris Agreement". On the following day (according to current planning) he is to present a lecture in the Nordic Pavilion on "Carbon Dioxide Removal and Net-zero Climate Targets".
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 and its protection and conservation also needs incentives coming from the UNFCCC. The “Blue” COP will put the ocean centerstage : 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". One day later, on 5 December, he will also take part in an event at the German Pavilion titled "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 in cooperation with Climate Strategies and the GIZ Mexico. IASS researcher Hector Rodriguez will present the co-benefits of renewable energy in Mexico at the Turkish Pavilion (location and date tbc). IASS researcher Mara Gomez will present health co-benefits and their impact in the policy making in Vietnam, Turkey and India at the IASS co-hosted 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 on "Social and Economic Co-Benefits of Renewable Energy and Climate Action" at the Turkish Pavilion on the following day.
New: IASS hosts Co-Creative Reflective & Dialogue Space in the Blue Zone
The IASS will also host a "Reflective & 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, with a cumulatively developing program conceived and hosted together with IASS researchers and co-creation experts Dorota Stasiak and Thomas Bruhn. Sessions will also be hosted by other IASS members, including scientific director Mark Lawrence or Nicole de Paula, who will give one about "Women Leaders for Planetary Health".
The sessions will generally be an hour long, starting with a five-minute flash talk, followed by structured reflection and discussion. The concept was developed with the goal of fostering interactions and promoting trust as a foundation for open exchange. The "Reflective & Dialogue Space" will also host two guest sessions per day, as well as short practice sessions where techniques such as mindfulness training and embodiment awareness can be demonstrated and considered in the context of the COP. 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 attendees.
This brief reflects current planning; please note that the conference schedule may change at short notice.
