02 December 2019 - 13 December 2019
Madrid, Spain
UN Climate Change Conference 2019 (COP25)
The Paris Agreement, adopted by nearly every nation in 2015, aims to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.” In 2016, global average surface temperature reached about 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels, making it the warmest year on record. Globally, last year’s temperatures rank behind 2016, 2017, and 2015. The past five years are, collectively, the warmest years in the modern record. With July 2019 being the hottest month on record for the planet, the warming trend continues.
At COP25, the annual climate negotiation conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), IIASA researchers will participate in several events aimed at providing their expertise to policymakers.
IIASA participation in COP25
Green Cooling: Progress and Potential
2 December 16:45-18:15 | Room 6
Side event: To what extent will adaptation strategies involve energy? The panel of this side event will focus on the energy uses of adaptation and, in particular, those related to space cooling. Speakers will share experiences on national green cooling policy, cold chain, green finance and new approaches to address green cooling.
Speakers include Alessio Mastrucci.
Carbon Removal and Return – Can CCS Decarbonise Industry in South America and help the oceans?
4 December 16:45-18:15 | Room 4
This side event looks at ocean acidification and CO2 removal, and project learnings to decarbonize cement. Speakers will also discuss Chile’s policy on CCS on power and direct air capture with CCS.
Speakers include Piera Patrizio.
Social and Economic Co-Benefits of Climate Change Mitigation: Employment, Industrial Development and Energy Transition
6 December 15:00-17:00 | Turkish Pavilion
The renewable energy sector is now attracting substantially greater investment flows than its fossil-based counterpart. More than anything else, the social and economic opportunities presented by this transformation have spurred the growth of renewable energy generation in many countries. These so-called co-benefits of climate change mitigation include local economic value creation, new employment opportunities, cleaner air, access to affordable energy, and rural development. This side presents the notion and global examples of co-benefits approach regarding climate change mitigation, and renewable energy.
Panel participant: Paul Kishimoto
GEIDCO report presentation
9 December 14:15 | GCA Roundtable, San Pedro De Atacama, Hall 4
This side event marks the launch of the joint analysis of the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and IIASA, which looks into the role of a global energy interconnection network for mitigation scenarios. A global electricity grid, combined with a strong electrification of energy demand, can be beneficial for climate mitigation to unlock otherwise unattractive renewable energy resources, and to balance the variable renewable energy sources across regions and resources.
Speakers include Bas van Ruijven.
Mainstreaming Low Carbon Development Economy into Policy Planning: Country Experiences
11 December 09:00-10:30 | Indonesia Pavilion, IFEMA, Feria de Madrid
This event focuses on Indonesia’s experience in mainstreaming low carbon development into policy planning in terms of technological changes, innovative financing and investment opportunities.
Moderator: Florian Kraxner
11 December 12:30-14:00 | EU Pavilion, Room Brussels
This side-event (part of ENGAGE/CD-LINKS/COMMIT projects) presents the collaborative work of more than 20 national institutions from various countries worldwide on the latest quantitative assessments of projected greenhouse gas emissions pathways and key energy indicators for major emitting countries. These policy scenarios are put in the context of the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and development of long-term, low-emission strategies, and compared with various below 2°C and 1.5°C scenarios at the country-level.
Speakers include Bas van Ruijven.
Loss and Damage in South Asia: Towards an Inclusive Assessment and Action
11 December 16:45-18:15 | Room 2
The session will bring together high level government representatives, practitioners and scientists to present examples of inclusive assessment and how they guide actions to address loss and damage in South Asia.
Speakers include Reinhard Mechler.
Connecting SDGs, Long Term Strategies, Multilateralism and global leadership
12 December 09:00-10:30 | EU Pavilion
Event organized by Bert Saveyn, JRC.
Panel participant: Bas van Ruijven
Risks and opportunities for meeting Water, Energy, and Land SDGs across scales
12 December 13:15-14:45 | GCF-GEF Pavilion
This event is organized by the Integrated Solutions for Water, Energy, and Land (ISWEL) project, a partnership between the Global Environment Facility (GEF), IIASA, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The main goal of ISWEL is to develop tools and capacities that can support the management of the water, energy and land nexus at global and regional levels.
The purpose of this event is to showcase the tools that have been developed as part of the project, illustrate how these can be used for national and basin-wide planning, and discuss their scaling potential.
Moderator and panelists: Edward Byers, Keywan Riahi, Barbara Willaarts
Breaking new ground: Advancing Loss and Damage governance and finance mechanisms
12 December 15:00-16:30 | Room 3
This side event will provide a unique opportunity to explore pathways to advance existing Loss and Damage governance and finance mechanisms. Participants will further discuss linkages between loss and damage policy choices and the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda.
Speakers include Reinhard Mechler.
Moving from commitment to action: combining mitigation and development objectives
13 December 11:30-13:00 | Room 5
Starting from national policies to ratchet up climate ambitions consistent with the Paris climate targets, we present several studies that analyzed how long-term, low-emission pathways interact with the SDGs. The OECD explores mitigation through a wellbeing lens, CD-LINKS studies synergies and trade-offs between mitigation and sustainable development and the COMMIT project combines global targets with national policies and mid-century strategies.
Speakers include Bas van Ruijven.
Acceleration of innovation for reducing CO2 emissions
13 December 13:15-14:45 | Room 1
Side event: For global CO2 emissions reduction, accelerating innovation that benefits each country by adapting the advanced decarbonize technologies respectively is crucial and to be beneficial for not only climate change mitigation but also multiple SDGs. This side event considers issues on such co-innovation.
Speakers include Nebojsa Nakicenovic.
