COP26 (The 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) was held in Glasgow, UK from October 31 to November 13, 2021.

During COP26, the Japan Climate Initiative (JCI) organized an event at the COP26 Japan Pavilion, the side event venue run by Ministry of the Environment of Japan. JCI members also joined as speakers events organized by the Alliances for Climate Action, an global network of non-state and subnational actors’ initiatives from nine countries, including JCI, at the U.S. Climate Action Center, a side event venue for U.S. non-state and subnational actors.

The Glasgow Climate Pact, the decision document of COP26 agreed by the Parties after a one-day extension of the negotiations, clearly stated the importance of limiting the temperature rise to 1.5 ℃ in order to limit the impact of climate change as much as possible. It also stressed the importance of the role of non-state actors in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. As the goal of 1.5 ℃ is increasingly recognized as the global mainstream, governments and non-state actors across the world must work together to confront the climate crisis.

3:00-4:30 PM, 8th November: Towards Zero: Japanese Non-State Actors Tackling Climate Crisis

At this event organized by JCI, JCI members, including investment institutions participating in Race To Zero, introduced their own efforts to achieve the 1.5 ℃ target, meaning the decarbonized society by 2050. A representative of a youth group also shared their thoughts on their visit to Glasgow to address the climate crisis. The hall was full throughout the session, and the participants discussed the importance of taking on the climate crisis now from the perspective of each sector.

Date and Time: 3:00-4:30 PM UK, Monday, 8th November
Venue: COP26 Japan Pavilion
Fee/Registration: Free/No need to register
The archived video is available on the YouTube channel of Ministry of the Environment of Japan.
https://youtu.be/CSDCFjMvm5g

Program:
1.Opening
2.A message video of JCI Race To Zero Circle members
3.Panel Session
Moderator: Naoyuki Yamagishi, Chief Conservation Officer, Director, Climate & Energy and Oceans & Fisheries Division, WWF Japan
Speakers:
Hidenao Makiuchi, Managing Director, Dai-ichi Life International (Europe)
Takeo Omori, ESG Analyst, Responsible Investment Group, Asset Management One Co., Ltd.
Hiroshi Ozeki, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nissay Asset Management Corporation
Masahiro Takahashi, General Manager, Environment Group, NYK Line
Haruhisa Tokito, Organizer, Youth For One-Earth
Megumu Tsuda, Deputy General Manager, Sustainability Promotion Division, Hitachi, Ltd.
4.A message to Japan
Nicolette Bartlet, Chief Impact Officer, CDP
5.Closing

 

12:30 – 1:30 PM Monday, Nov 8: ACA Global Events- “All In for Net Zero: How A Whole-of-Society Approach Can Accelerate the Race to Zero”

The event, organized by the Alliance for Climate Action (ACA), a global alliance of non-state and subnational actors’ alliances in which JCI participates, was held in collaboration with the UNFCCC campaign Race To Zero. Mr. Gonzalo Muñoz, UN High Level Climate Champion, took the stage at the beginning of the event. In the panel session that followed, Mr. Tomoaki Fujii from Nissay Asset Management Corporation joined as a speaker from JCI, and representatives from the United States, Australia, Chile, Brazil, and Mexico took the stage, too. The speakers shared their efforts in each country and discussed the importance of addressing the 1.5°C target by society as a whole, beyond the boundaries of sectors.

Date: Monday, November 8
Time: 12:30 – 1:30 (local GMT time)
Venue: U.S. Climate Action Center (Blue Zone, Hall 4)
The Archived video is available

Program
Welcome and Open the Event
Marcene Mitchell, VP Climate, WWF-US

Opening Remarks
Gonzalo Muñoz, UN High Level Climate Champion

Panel I
Moderator: Marcene Mitchell, VP Climate, WWF-US
Speakers:
Ricardo Bosshard, CEO, WWF-Chile
Claudio Castro, Mayor of Renca, Chile
Axel Schmidt Grael, Mayor, City of Niterói, Brazil
Dr. Virginia Marshall, Executive member of the Indigenous Peoples Organisation – Australia, and the Inaugural Indigenous Postdoctoral Fellow at Australian National University

Panel II
Moderator: Nicolette Bartlett, Chief Impact Officer, CDP
Speakers:
Luis Donaldo Colosio Riojas, Mayor of Monterrey, Mexico
Tomoaki Fujii, Co-Chief Investment Officer, Head of ESG, Nissay Asset Management Corporation, Japan
Kelly King, Chair of the Climate Action, Resilience, and Environment Committee, Maui County, Hawaii, United States

Closing of the Event
Nicolette Bartlett, Chief Impact Officer, CDP

 

12:30 – 1:30 PM Tuesday, Nov 9: ACA Global Events- “Together in the Decade of Delivery: How Collaboration Can Take Us From Commitment to Implementation”

In this event organized by the ACA, Mr. Masahiro Takahashi of NYK Line and other representatives from the United States, Argentina, Mexico, and Vietnam took the stage. The speakers discussed how collaboration with other sectors can play a role in achieving the 1.5°C target, sharing their experiences from each country. They shared their thoughts on how we can accelerate the efforts together towards 2030, despite the different backgrounds of each country.

Date: Tuesday, November 9
Time: 12:30 – 1:30 (local GMT time)
Venue: U.S. Climate Action Center (Blue Zone, Hall 4)
The Archived video is available

Program
Welcome and Open
Mark Conway, Associate Program Officer, Stanley Center for Peace and Security

Panel I: Collaboration for Action
Moderator: Mark Conway, Associate Program Officer, Stanley Center for Peace and Security
Inés Sáenz Negrete, VP, Inclusion, Social Impact and Sustainability, Tec De Monterrey, México
Sergio Graf, Secretary of Environment and Territorial Development, Government of Jalisco, Mexico
Sarah Sutton, CEO, Environment and Culture Partners

Panel II: Collaboration for Policy
Moderator: Emmanuelle Pinault, Director of City Diplomacy, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
Masahiro Takahashi, General Manager, Environment Group, NYK Line, Japan
Martin Dapelo, Board of Directors Member and Financing Committee Coordinator, CADER, Argentina
Ms. Huynh Thi Lan Huong, Deputy Director General, Viet Nam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change
Kelly King, Chair of the Climate Action, Resilience, and Environment Committee, Maui County, Hawaii, United States

Closing Remarks
Florencia Mitchell, National Director of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Government of Argentina
Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Energy and Transport, Government of Scotland

Closing of the event
Mark Conway, Associate Program Officer, Stanley Center for Peace and Security


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