[Videos & Slides available] JCI Webinar: Raising Voices | Aligning Advocacy and Policy with Net Zero : What actions are required of non-state actors (Online / September 28th)
JCI held a series of webinars to introduce and discuss on domestic and international trend about climate change prior to the Japan Climate Action Summit 2023 planned to be held on Friday, October 6. The 3rd webinar focused on actions required of Non-State Actors to align advocacy and policy with Net Zero in collaboration with the international campaign “Race To Zero” promoted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
To limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C and avoid a crisis caused by climate change, greenhouse gas emissions must be sharply reduced, reaching a 60% reduction by 2035 and net zero by 2050. In order to realize this major shift, not only voluntary efforts by individual companies and local governments, but also policies that support the positive transition are essential. In recent years, non-state actors, such as companies and local governments, have been called upon internationally to raise their voices for such policies.
In November 2022, the UN High‑Level Expert Group on the Net Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities released a report with 10 recommendations on how non-state actors should declare net zero, including Recommendation 6 to “Aligning Lobbying and Advocacy” and Recommendation 10 to “Accelerating the Road to Regulation.”
In June of the same year, “Persuade” was added to the Race To Zero criteria as the 5th P, which requires Race To Zero members to actively call on their associations, governments, and others to take actions and introduce policies consistent with the realization of the 1.5°C target. A handbook of the “Persuade” was released this June. JCI has also published a Japanese provisional translation of the handbook.
In this JCI webinar, we discussed international trends in advocacy for net-zero emissions, the current status of climate advocacy and lobbying by Japanese companies and introduce some examples of proactive efforts by non-state actors.
JCI Webinar #3 Raising Voices| Aligning Advocacy & Policy with Net Zero : What actions are required of non-state actors?
Date and Time: 3:30pm-5:00pm JST, Thursday, September 28th, 2023
Organized by Race To Zero and Japan Climate Initiative (JCI)
Format: Online (Zoom Webinar)
Interpretation: Japanese-English simultaneous interpretation is available.
Admission: Free, pre-registration required.
Program:
1. Keynote: Aligning Advocacy & Policy with Net Zero recommended by UN High-Level Expert Group PDF Kahori Miyake, Co-Chair of Japan Climate Leaders’ Partnership (JCLP) / Executive Manager of ESG Strategy and Solution Department, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank
3. Current situation and case studies
i) Current status of climate advocacy and lobbying in Japan PDF Monica Nagashima, Japan Country Manager, InfluenceMap
ii) Climate advocacy by company PDF Egle Gintautaite, Global Public Affairs Leader, Ingka Group
iii) JCI’s advocacy activities PDF Tomomi Hirakami, Liaison Coordinator, Renewable Energy Institute
4. Discussion / Q&A
Moderator: Ken Tanaka, Climate & Energy Group Officer, WWF Japan
Kahori Miyake, Co-Chair of Japan Climate Leaders’ Partnership (JCLP) / Executive Manager of ESG Strategy and Solution Department, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank
Ms. Miyake is the Executive Manager of ESG Strategy and Solution Department at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank and the Co-Chair of Japan Climate Leaders’ Partnership (JCLP), a coalition of over 230 businesses advancing decarbonization in the country. She has been heavily involved in lobbying activities not only to the government and policy makers since taking the JCLP Co-chair role in 2019, but also to various industry players and also to the public. In 2022, she served as a member of High-Level Expert Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities convened by Secretary General Guterres. Prior to the current role, Ms. Miyake served as the Chief Sustainability Officer of Aeon Co.,Ltd., a retail conglomerate in Japan. Aeon was the first retailer in Japan to commit to net zero by 2050 in 2018 and has always been the forerunner in the Sustainability field.
Tessa Vincent, Policy and Engagement Lead, Race To Zero
Tessa is Race to Zero’s Policy & Engagement Lead, leading on engagement with many Race to Zero Accelerators and Partners, and on how the campaign can support a move from voluntary action, into net zero policy and regulation.
Tessa has a Law and Politics background and has worked for Judges, Members of Parliament and a Minister in Aotearoa, New Zealand. She has experience in the NGO sector enhancing climate philanthropy and setting up coalitions to improve food security and tackle food waste.
Tessa moved to the United Kingdom in 2022 to study a Masters of Public Policy at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. She thrives being involved in initiatives which aim to collectively solve climate issues.
Outside of work, she’s a keen runner, hiker and loves coffee outings!
Monica Nagashima, Japan Country Manager, InfluenceMap
Monica oversees the research and stakeholder engagement in Japan at the independent climate think tank InfluenceMap since 2020. Previously, Monica was a researcher at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) focusing on liquified natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen policy. She holds a Double Masters in Environmental Policy and Energy from Sciences Po and International Relations from Peking University, and a BA in Environment and Information Studies from Keio University. Co-Founder and Director at Stand With Ukraine Japan.
Tomomi Hirakami, Liaison Coordinator, Renewable Energy Institute
Tomomi Hirakami joined Renewable Energy Institute in 2023. Previously, she worked for Sumitomo Corporation, where she was involved in the OCTG trading business and worked with Japanese steelmakers and global energy companies. She was also in charge of ESG and CO2 emission measurement.
At Renewable Energy Institute, she supports companies, local governments and NGOs to drive their engagement in climate change actions, as part of the Japan Climate Initiative (JCI) secretariat.
Egle Gintautaite, Global Public Affairs Leader, Ingka Group
Egle Gintautaite has 10+ years of experience in public affairs across several purpose led multinational companies and governmental institutions in Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania and USA. In her current role at Ingka Group (IKEA) she leads and implements the strategy for influencing global policy and regulation on sustainability in line with IKEA’s strategy to become climate positive by 2030. Prior to this, Egle was responsible for Ingka Group’s EU policy engagement on circularity and nature topics in Brussels, as well as held positions in Carlsberg Group, the United States Senate and Baltic Development Forum. Egle holds a master’s degree in international business and politics from Copenhagen Business School.
Ken Tanaka, Non-state actor engagement, Climate & Energy Group Officer, WWF Japan
Ken Tanaka works for WWF Japan and serves as the secretariat of the Japan Climate Initiative (JCI) that is co-organized with CDP Japan and Renewable Energy Institute. Before joining WWF-Japan, he worked the Fukuoka Prefectural Government and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in environmental conservation, especially in waste management and recycling including the work supporting the Japanese companies to develop overseas recycling businesses. After that, he worked as a science communicator at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, and he was actively involved in a diverse of projects cooperating with overseas museums, businesses, research institutions etc. He holds a Master of Science in chemistry from Kyushu University.
The past JCI Webinar Series in 2023 (Japanese only)
