Climate Week 2020

Date updated: September 27, 2020

Join us for Climate Week

Climate Week 2020 put green recovery on an international stage, and EDF is bringing the right experts to the table to explore lasting solutions.

With the spotlight once again on climate, EDF will gather national and international experts to examine investing for a 100% clean economy, driving voter engagement in the U.S., and exploring global stimulus plans to rebuild better in the U.S., EU and China.

All Climate Week events

We're also hosting and participating in a number of panel discussions and talks.

Highlight indicates an EDF main event.

• Regional Carbon Pricing & Markets Virtual Series - North America Edition
  International Emissions Trading (IETA) hosted event
  

  
  Jointly organized by IETA, The World Bank and the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC). This special event opens IETA’s annual regional ‘’Carbon Forum North America 2020 Virtual Series”, for business, political and NGO leaders to discuss the latest developments, innovations and outlooks on climate action and leadership. Panelists address the role of climate markets and cooperation to enhance ambition, as well as delve into the latest experiences and the surge of carbon policy, market and finance developments across Canada, the United States and parts of Latin America, while connecting dots on how these market solutions unlock business engagement, finance and innovative solutions to tackle the climate challenge at scale.

• Recharge America: Zero Emissions Trucks and the Low Carbon Future
  Watch now »
  

  
  The transportation sector accounts for one-quarter of global carbon dioxide emissions. Urban cargo trucks burning dirty diesel are fouling the air, causing the deaths of nearly 10,000 people annually in the U.S. A transition to zero-emission trucks will require strong policy, significant commitments by fleet owners and manufacturers, and increased awareness of the harm of diesel pollution among company executives, policy makers, and community leaders. Join us to learn how new initiatives will enable electrification and efficiency in the transportation sector by stimulating investment and reducing emissions, resulting in health and climate benefits.
  
  Moderator:
  Felice Stadler, Vice President, Political Affairs, EDF
  
  Speakers:
  Timothy O’Connor, Senior Director, Energy Transition Strategy, EDF
  Dr. Bakeyah Nelson, Executive Director, Air Alliance Houston
  Coralie Cooper, Deputy Director, NESCAUM
  Chris Nordh, Senior Director of Advanced Vehicle Technology and Energy Products, Ryder

• Committed to Net Zero? Navigating the Post-Paris Voluntary Carbon Market With Your Sanity Still Intact
  Watch now »
  

  
  Brochure [PDF]
  Environmental Defense Fund, in partnership with the High Tide Foundation, and with expert support from ENGIE Impact, has convened a steering group to develop recommendations for the post-2020 voluntary carbon market. The group includes key players in the voluntary carbon market, such as NGOs, research organizations and corporate stakeholders. This event will provide an overview of their ongoing discussions, take a look at why the voluntary carbon market matters, and hear from some of the best minds in the business about how to make it work for the climate.
  
  Moderator:
  Kelley Kizzier, Associbate Vice President, International Climate, EDF
  
  Panelists:
  Alexa Kleysteuber, Independent Consultant
  Dirk Forrister, IETA
  Derik Broekhoff, SEI
  Alexia Kelly, ENGIE Impact
  Private Sector Guest

• Rebuild Better: Making Climate Progress Central to a Post-Covid Economy
  Watch now »

  
  Decisions made in the coming months to revitalize the global economy will reshape the future of the planet. Investments in clean energy and climate solutions can and should play a central role in putting people back to work and building a more sustainable future.
  Join EDF Senior Vice President of Climate Nat Keohane, Executive Director of EDF Europe Jill Duggan and a panel of international experts to discuss the steps major economies can take to green the global economic stimulus in a post COVID-19 world.
  
  Featuring:
  Jochen Flasbarth – Keynote Address, State Secretary for Environment (BMU) of Germany
  Jill Duggan – Moderator, Executive Director, Environmental Defense Fund Europe
  Nat Keohane – Introductory Remarks, Senior VP, Climate, EDF
  
  Panelists:
  Artur Runge-Metzger, Director, DG Climate Action, European Commission
  Mary Nichols, Chair, California Air Resources Board
  Dr. Amal-Lee Amin, Director, Climate Change, CDC Group
  Zhang Yongsheng, Research Institute for Eco-civilization (RIEco), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)

• China: A Boost for 2035 Climate Ambition
  

  
  The China Energy Modeling forum has initiated its CEMF03 study, 2035 Low Carbon Development and Beautiful China. China joins countries such as Germany, Finland, the UK and the EU in designating 2035 as a key year to achieve climate milestones. As China pursues energy transition and decarbonization, we see 2035 as a critical mid-point on the longer journey to realizing 2050 goals and to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Climate Teams: A New Model for Climate Cooperation
  Watch now »
  

  
  A Climate Team is a new cooperative mechanism composed of a small group of countries:
  1. A host country, characterized by having significant opportunities to reduce net emissions in the short term, but insufficient resources to accelerate low emissions transformation, and;
  2. Partner countries with resources but limited short-term opportunities to meet their mitigation commitments. A Climate Team assists and rewards the host country as it effectively implements climate policies. During this session we will discuss the possibilities, challenges and risks of developing this initiative.
  
  Moderators:
  Kelley Kizzier, EDF
  Chandra Shekhar, World Bank
  Aglaja Espelage, Perspectives Climate Group
  Francisco Pinto, Climate Teams
  
  Panelists:
  Axel Michaelowa, Perspectives Climate Group
  Diana Movius, Climate Advisers
  Rodrigo Pizarro, Independent Consultant
  Claudio Seebach, Chilean Association of Power Generators

• Unpacking the NET in Net Zero: Role of Markets & Removals at Scale
  IETA hosted event
  

  
  Understanding the multiple definitions and approaches to net zero climate commitments can be challenging. This timely session will unpack government and corporate net zero plans and pathways, and hone in on the crucial role that carbon markets must play to facilitate and accelerate these ambitious decarbonization trajectories. IETA’s event will bring together business, government and technical experts to discuss why net zero means different things to different people, share up-to-date research on how carbon markets can enhance ambition, and examine the latest policy, financing and corporate leadership innovations that support natural climate solutions.
  
  Featuring:
  Katie Sullivan – Welcome Address, Managing Director, IETA
  Richard Saines – Moderator, Partner, Pollination
  
  Panelists:
  Jim McDermott, CEO, 1PointFive, Occidental Petroleum (OXY) LOW Carbon Ventures
  Renat Heuberger, CEO, South Pole
  Frances Seymour, Board Chair, ART
  Federico Di Credico, Managing Director, ACT Financial Solutions
  Kelley Kizzier, Associate Vice President for International Climate, EDF
  Toby Janson-Smith, Chief Innovation Officer, Verra

• Turning Climate Risk into Climate Progress
  

  
  Please join VoLo Foundation Co-Founder and EDF Trustee, David S. Vogel, and EDF Senior Vice President, Nat Keohane, for a discussion of the market and financial risks posed by climate change - and how the finance community can not only manage those risks but drive the transition to net zero carbon emissions. Commissioner Rostin Behnam of Commodity Futures Trading Commission will share key findings from Managing Climate Risk in the U.S. Financial System, the just-released report from the Climate-Related Market Risk Subcommittee of the CFTC’s Market Risk Advisory Committee.
  
  Featuring:
  Senator Sheldon Whitehouse – Opening Remarks, U.S. Senator for Rhode Island
  Rostin Behnam – Keynote Address, Commissioner, CFTC
  Bob Litterman – Introductory Remarks, Founding Partner, Kepos Capital
  Nat Keohane – Moderator, Senior Vice President, Climate, EDF
  
  Panelists:
  David S. Vogel, Event Co-host, CEO & Chief Scientist, Voloridge Investment Management; Co-Founder and Trustee, VoLo Foundation
  Divya Mankikar, Investment Manager, California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS)
  Tejal Mody, Managing Director and Head of Business Development & Strategy, Rabobank

• Green Shipping: Urgent Move to Fight Climate Change
  Watch now »
  

  
  Well-known experts from around the world will discuss green shipping after the coronavirus pandemic, including how the recovery and development of international shipping can meet the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2050 goal. We will focus on:
  1. Future development of international shipping and its recovery after COVID-19.
  2. International shipping’s pathway for achieving IMO’s 2050 goal and the possibility of achieving an even more ambitious emission reduction target.
  3. Case studies from regional and Belt and Road Initiative countries.

• Nature for Life Hub
  Learning for Nature hosted event
  

  
  This four-day program focuses on the role that nature can play in climate change mitigation and adaptation. It will provide a virtual venue to explore themes, updates and innovations related to the Sustainable Development Goals, business and finance, global ambition and local action. Participants will hear from government and private sector leaders, the world’s youth, Indigenous and community leaders, local authorities and on-the-ground practitioners who are committed to putting nature at the heart of sustainable development and green recovery.

• Decarbonizing Marine Shipping: Toward a Sustainable Future
  Bloom Energy hosted event
  

  
  International shipping accounts for nearly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. As such, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has mandated that the industry reduce emissions by at least 40% by 2030, and 50% by 2050, compared to 2008 levels. Join speakers from industry, research and EDF to explore the research, policy and technological innovations that must come together to help maritime transport meet these goals. They will discuss how recent market momentum in renewable hydrogen can accelerate these efforts and drive the transition toward a net zero future.
  
  Moderator:
  Jan Erik Rasanen, Head of New Technology, Foreship Oy
  
  Panelists:
  Preeti Pande, Vice President, Strategic Market Development Projects, Bloom Energy
  Andrea Pietra, Technology Director Merchant Ships, Fincantieri
  Timothy Lipman, Co-Director, University of California Berkeley Transportation Sustainability Research Center
  Aoife O’Leary, Director International Climate, Environmental Defense Fund

• Exploring Carbon Market Link with GEIDCO
  

  
  This workshop will explore the opportunities and challenges for carbon market linkage across regions with Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization’s (GEIDCO) global energy interconnection initiative. We will introduce the key principles of carbon market linkage, including internationally. The workshop will specifically focus on the opportunities with Northeast Asia’s electricity grid and the carbon market linkage potential.

• Open Decarbonization: Open Source Models to Inform Action
  Watch now »
  

  
  Although the necessity to transition to a carbon-free economy is broadly acknowledged, we have no shared understanding of the feasibility, reliability, and economic rationales for pathways to cut carbon emissions to zero and even make them negative. Models can help us explore what everyday life without emissions could look like, and how alternative technological pathways might perform. In this session, leading modelers will discuss an initiative to make their cutting-edge models more accessible to decision-makers, particularly in developing countries, by lowering barriers to their application and generating unified comparable scenarios for broader public review, discussion, and further research.
  
  Panelists:
  Tom Brown, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
  Joe DeCarolis, North Carolina State University, USA
  Mathias Fripp, University of Hawaii, USA
  Jesse Jenkins, Princeton University, USA
  Taco Niet, Simon Fraser University, Canada
  Balachandra Patil, Indian Institute of Science, India
  Michael Roberts, University of Hawaii, USA
  Germán David Romero, Despacho Del Viceministro Técnico, Colombia
  Andrés Pica Téllez, UC Global Change Center, Chile

• Every Tool We’ve Got: How Emergent Brings Public, Private and Philanthropic Finance Together to Tackle Deforestation at Unprecedented Scale
  Emergent hosted event
  

  
  Join us to learn how we’re bringing philanthropies, governments, nonprofits and corporations together to channel their efforts toward a single carbon market that maximizes finance for forest protection. We’ll introduce you to our Private Sector Leaders’ Roundtable, our government and philanthropic partners, and invite you to come along as we chart a bold new course for forest conservation, going beyond incremental change, creating better outcomes for forests and building a better world for humanity and nature alike.