Policy for 1.5 – what governments can do to tackle climate change
136 countries – representing over 90% of world GDP and 80% of the global population – are now covered by net zero commitments. The number increased in the build up to last year’s COP26 event, where Glasgow Climate Pact was agreed to put in place the underpinning rules and systems for measuring net zero.
In Glasgow, countries also agreed to develop new strengthened commitments, and that deadline is nearing as countries prepare for COP27 in Egypt.
The Egyptian presidency for COP27 has said that the conference “will be a moment for countries to fulfil their pledges and commitments towards delivering the objectives of the Paris Agreement” through more ambitious programme of mitigation, and higher goals on nationally determined contributions to carbon reduction.
To deliver on these stretching targets, governments need to put in place plans to decarbonise large parts of their economy, and begin building the capacity to make it happen – as well as working to reduce the emissions from their own operations.
This webinar looked at the best global practice for getting to net zero. Join this webinar to find out:
- How governments have developed net zero plans for their countries
- How governments are monitoring progress to net zero, and the milestones ahead
- How governments can look at getting their own operations to net zero – across public services, citizen engagement, and government events.
Panel
Abdiel Douglas, Climate Change Analyst, Ministry of Environment, Panamá
Abdiel Douglas graduated from Technological University of Panama as an Environmental Engineer. He has carried out a research on the incidence of climate change in the Pacific coast of Panama. In 2019, he was selected to participate in the IAHR World Congress held in Panama. He has been a Jr Consultant for the United Nations Development Program. Currently, he is a climate change analyst at the Ministry of the Environment of Panama. As a climate change analyst , he has worked with the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Panama on the development of a national tagging system that tracks climate expenditures and identify public projects that contributes to Panama update 2020 NDC and Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs). Also, he is a facilitator of the Academy of Young Leaders on Climate Change in Panama.
Maria DiGiulian, Senior Advisor and Director, International Science and Technology Collaboration, U.S. Department of Energy
Maria DiGiulian is the Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and the Director of the Office of International Science and Technology Collaboration at the Department of Energy. In these roles, she is responsible for managing the Department’s International S&T collaborative programs, and advising DOE’s leadership on strategic priorities. DOE engages in multiple international science and technology collaborations to maintain the strength and global leadership of the U.S. innovation base and looks at the national and economic security issues associated with those programs. In this role, Ms. DiGiulian leads DOE efforts in Mission Innovation, a 25-member global organization that drives forward global clean energy innovation. She also leads the U.S. government’s Net Zero World Initiative, executed through an interagency and national laboratory consortium. Through Net Zero World, the United States partners with strategically important countries to develop tangible clean energy projects that meet energy needs and decarbonize economies.
Jim Watson, Director, UCL Institute of Sustainable Resources, United Kingdom
Jim Watson is Professor of Energy Policy and Director of the Institute of Sustainable Resources, University College London (UCL). He is also Research Director of the Climate Compatible Growth programme, funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). He was previously Director of the UK Energy Research Centre and the Sussex Energy Group, University of Sussex. His research focuses on climate change, energy and innovation policies. This includes leading interdisciplinary programmes on the UK energy transition, and international collaborations with colleagues in China, India, Ghana and Zambia. He frequently advises UK government departments and other organisations, and has been a Specialist Adviser with four UK Parliamentary committees. He is chair of the technical advisory group to the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP), a judge for the Queens Awards (on sustainable development), and an executive committee member of the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement.
Gareth Hughes, Chairman/CEO, Advanced Bacterial Sciences
Gareth is the Chairman/CEO of Advanced Bacterial Sciences whose next-generation intelligent design bacterial treatments for waste and water treatment and management, pollution remediation and agriculture boost efficiency, cut maintenance and running costs, and regenerate natural systems. Since co-founding Climate Change Capital (“CCC”) in 2002 where he led the incubation, development of and capital raising of circa $1.75bn for various CCC funds, Gareth has been a serial entrepreneur and through Beetle Capital Partners (founded in 2008) he has advised and invested in a number of companies projects and funds across the natural capital spectrum in clean energy, energy efficiency, batteries, water, waste, forestry and agriculture sectors. Prior to CCC, formative years were spent in Insurance where latterly Gareth was a Managing Director of Marsh & McLennan Enterprise Risk (“MMC”) which sat at the intersection of insurance and capital markets. At MMC, Gareth developed a number of innovative integrated risk finance solutions in the Energy & Utility sectors and was also responsible for the development of MMC’s European Climate Change initiatives.
Webinar chair: Mia Hunt, Editor, Global Government Forum
Mia has been Editor of globalgovernmentforum.com since 2019. She is a journalist and editor with a background in covering commercial property, having been Market Reports and Supplements Editor at trade title Property Week and Deputy Editor of Shopping Centre magazine, now known as Retail Destination. She has also undertaken freelance work for several publications including the preview magazine of international trade show, MAPIC, and Tes Global (formerly the Times Educational Supplement) and has produced a white paper on energy efficiency in business for E.ON. Between 2014 and 2016, she was a member of the Revo Customer Experience Committee and an ACE Awards judge.
Mia graduated from Kingston University with a first-class degree in journalism and was part of the team that produced The River newspaper, which won Publication of the Year at the Guardian Student Media Awards in 2010.
