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COP24: WorldGBC to attend to represent the green building movement

Taking place from 3-14 December 2018 in Katowice, Poland, COP24 starts next week and the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) is finalising its plans for participation.

WorldGBC will be representing our global network of Green Building Councils at the COP24 climate talks and advocating for a sustainable built environment in order to meet climate goals and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

WorldGBC understands this year’s COP is set to be smaller and more technical than in previous years. Nevertheless, it will be an essential milestone in the pursuit of two major objectives: the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement on the one hand, and the enhancement of States’ ambition by 2020 on the other. Its success will be based on the following key results:

  • The finalisation of the Paris work programme and the adoption of the rules for the implementation of the Agreement, in accordance with the decision taken at COP22 in Marrakech in 2016;
  • The results of the Talanoa dialogue, which, through an exchange of good practices between States and civil society, should lay the foundations for an upward revision of nationally determined contributions (NDC) by 2020, with a view to achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement;
  • In conjunction with the Talanoa dialogue, recognition of the main scientific results of the IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C global warming;
  • The continued mobilization of all stakeholders through the Agenda for Action;
  • Progress in climate finance.

For more information about the agenda and key issues of COP24, please read this overview document.  

WorldGBC at COP24

WorldGBC and members and partners from our network will be participating at the following events during COP24:

5 December 2018

EU Pavilion – 13:00-15:30 Towards a low-carbon and energy-efficient built environment to reach the Paris Agreement – WorldGBC speaker James Drinkwater, Director, Europe Regional Network, WorldGBC Europe

*Please note you do NOT need COP24 Accreditation to attend this event.

Building Green – Cop24 Nordic Pavilion 15.30-16.30
Greener buildings for a low-carbon economy – the need for more rapid building retrofitting Building event – WorldGBC speaker James Drinkwater, Director, Europe Regional Network, WorldGBC Europe

Registration and access
Register here via the link

*Please note you do NOT need COP24 Accreditation to attend this event.

6 December 2018

GlobalABC Off-Site Event: Unlocking the potential of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to transform the buildings and construction sector

Location: Uniwersytet Śląski, Bankowa 12, 40-007, Katowice, Poland

See the agenda here.

WorldGBC staff, Green Building Council members and partners will participate in the following sessions:

09:45 – 10:00 Keynote speech: Alicja Kuczera, CEO of the Polish Green Building Council and Vice Chair, WorldGBC Europe Regional Network

10:00 – 10:45 GlobalABC Guidance Tool on Incorporating Buildings Sector Climate Actions in Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs)Christine Lemaitre, CEO of German Sustainable Building Council and Chair, WorldGBC Europe Regional Network, Moderator

10:45 – 12:15 Panel 1: Sustainable materials and the “embodied carbon” in the building sector – best practices from around the world; Moderated discussion – Victoria Burrows, World Green Building Council, Moderator

14:45 – 16:15 Panel 3: High-efficiency and low-carbon buildings – financing options: Kurt Emil Eriksen, Senior Policy Advisor, Velux, Panellist

Registration and access
Register here via the Eventbrite link

*Please note you do NOT need COP24 Accreditation to attend this event.

7 December 2018

MPGCA Human Settlements Action Event

Location: International Conference Center (MCK), Katowice, Poland

Description

Building upon the Paris Agreement vision of engaging all levels of government for climate action, the MPGCA Human Settlements thematic event in 2018 will consist of the three panel discussions as follows:

  • Integrated action: integrated climate action for low-carbon and resilient societies;
  • Raising ambition: sectoral progress and achievements, with a special focus on the buildings and construction sector;
  • Looking forward: financing multilevel action.

WorldGBC staff, Green Building Council members and partners will participate in the following sessions:

Raising ambition: sectoral progress and achievements, with a special focus on the buildings and construction sector; Christine Lemaitre CEO of German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) and Chair of WorldGBC Europe Regional Network, speaker

Registration and access
Register here via the Eventbrite link

** Please note: the Human Settlements Action Event is open to all COP24 ACCREDITED attendees. Without this accreditation, you will not be able to access the room where the Human Settlements Action event will take place**

9-10 December 2018

Sustainable Innovation Forum

Location: Vienna House Easy Katowice, Ulica Sokolska 24, 40086 Katowice, Poland

As an official affiliate event of COP24, the 9th annual Sustainable Innovation Forum 2018 will open with an innovation day providing thought leadership, deep-dive discussion, capacity building and networking on four key themes: Circular Economy, Energy Transition, Sustainable Mobility and Climate Finance. While day two will deliver further high level policy discussion and debate, structured and informal networking and inspirational keynote speeches by leading ministers, cities, multilateral organisations, investors and private sector vendors and solution providers.

See the full agenda here.

WorldGBC staff, Green Building Council members and partners will participate in the following sessions:

9 December 2018

16:15-17:05 Driving Innovation Panel: The ‘How’s’ Of Transitioning To A Circular Economy Business Model – Alicja Kuczera, CEO of the Polish Green Building Council; Vice Chair of WorldGBC Europe Regional Network, Moderator

Registration and access

WorldGBC has been offered up to 20 complementary tickets for its members and partners to attend the Sustainable Innovation Forum.

There are some restrictions around this as follows:

  • Attendees need to be C-suite level
  • Companies need to be working directly in Clean Technology and ideally around our four key pillars for climate change which are circular economy, energy transition, climate finance and sustainable mobility
  • Limited to 2 attendees per company
  • Or attendees need to be responsible for Sustainability or CSR within large companies – over 500 employees

If you wish to attend, please send confirmation of the attendee names and contact details to Georgina Eldridge by no later than Monday 3 December 2018

*Please note you do NOT need COP24 Accreditation to attend this event.

11-12 December 2018

World Climate Summit

Venue: Vienna House Easy Angelo Katowice, 24 Sokolska, 40-086 Katowice, Poland

Join the leading forum for business and investment-driven solutions to climate change, organised in parallel to the annual UN climate negotiations. World Climate Summit – Investment COP will strengthen bottom-up processes, collaboration across sectors and industries, create new deal flows, and facilitate climate related project development. This multi-stakeholder forum is expertly positioned to support the UN Global Climate Action Agenda, and the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement. The forum annually gathers 1500+ delegates, of which 500+ are high-level decision makers from governments, cities, corporations, commercial and institutional investment banks, international expert organisations, civil society and more.

WorldGBC staff, Green Building Council members and partners will participate in the following sessions:

12 December 2018

Buildings for Cost, Comfort and Climate

Date and Time: Wednesday December 12 2018 at 9.00-13.00, mid week 2 in High-Level days

Venue: Vienna House Easy Katowice, Ulica Sokolska 24, 40086 Katowice, Poland

To move towards a carbon-free and sustainable future, governments and cities across the globe needs to look at the role of ‘Buildings’. Buildings are one of society’s greatest energy consumers representing almost 40 per cent of all energy used. Today, many of the solutions already exists, which is why the Danish companies VELUX, ROCKWOOL and Danfoss have decided to focus on the theme of Buildings to raise an important agenda on the roles of buildings when we want to solve our global climate challenges. This will be done through a half-day conference during the COP24 in Katowice, Poland, at the Danish shared pavilion.

Panel – Private sector: Solutions and technologies towards sustainable buildings

  • Kurt Emil Eriksen, Senior Political Advisor VELUX Group, panellist
  • Andrzej Kielar, Managing Director ROCKWOOL CEE, Insulation North East Europe, panellist

Panel – Buildings and cities: Buildings one of the key challenges towards carbon-neutral cities

  • James Drinkwater, Director European network, World Green Building Council, panellist

Click here for more information on this event.

Registration and access

Register using this link and enter the code ‘DKBUILDINGS’. As seats are limited, please sign up as soon as possible to secure your participation.

*Please note you do NOT need COP24 Accreditation to attend this event.

For more information on COP24 Katowice, visit http://cop24.gov.pl/ and follow @COP24 on Twitter for further updates.