News
Publish date: October 26, 2021
Written by: Oskar Njaa
News
Watch all events LIVESTREAMED ON YOUTUBE
Formal opening of the Pavilion, a collaboration between the Bellona Foundation, Sahara Forest Project Foundation, Aker Horizons and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Speakers
– Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Norway
– Frederic Hauge, President, Bellona Foundation
– Kristian Røkke, CEO, Aker Horizons
– Kjetil Stake, Managing Director, Sahara Forest Project
– Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway
The Sahara Forest Project is revegetating desert areas and creating green jobs through profitable production of food, freshwater, biomass and clean energy. Using sunlight, saltwater, CO2 and desert areas as main input factors, the unique concept serves as an action-oriented example of how using available agri-tech solutions can rethink opportunities in deserts in many countries.
Speakers
– Kjetil Stake, Managing Director, Sahara Forest Project
– Ruba al-Zubi, Representative Amman, Sahara Forest Project
– Frederic Hauge, President, Bellona Foundation
Hosted by the Sahara Forest Project Foundation
The climate crisis represents a fundamental challenge for the world society. We are already late – to meet the targets in the Paris Agreement, cutting emissions will not be enough. We need climate positive solutions, where we actively remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. This is the backdrop for the new SINTEF Global Climate Fund, which shall invest in the most promising climate positive research and innovation projects critical for our ability to preserve the environment, climate and all living species.
In this event, SINTEF CEO Ms Alexandra Bech Gjørv will talk to leading experts from the finance and technology sector, as well as civil society, about the need for innovative climate positive solutions and the urgency to start investing in them.
Speakers
– Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Norway (TBC)
– Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Climate and Environment of Norway (TBC)
– Dr. Fatih Birol, Director General, IEA (TBC)
– Frederic Hauge, President, Bellona Foundation
Panel moderated by Alexandra Bech Gjørv, President and CEO of SINTEF.
There is an increased attention to the health consequences of climate change, and on the health co-benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We believe highlighting the link between climate change and health has the potential to mobilise new groups of citizens for climate action. In this session we will get a presentation of current research in the field and a conversation on policy implications for Europe.
Speakers
– Kristin Aunan, Research Director, CICERO Center for international climate research
– Anthony Costello, Co-chair of the Lancet Countdown for climate and health action Countdown: Health co-benefits of mitigation
– Brian O Gallachoir, Director MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, University College Cork
Moving towards zero emission in construction of buildings and infrastructure is critical to meeting the Paris agreement targets. Challenging emissions in construction involves the entire supply chain, which includes major global industries such as cement and steel. New climate strategies for built environment can thus lead to transformational change across sectors. How can we drive markets more rapidly towards zero emission solutions? And what is the role of local and national government, and of the financial institutions, in driving this change?
Speakers
– Jonathan Pershing, Deputy US Special Envoy on Climate Change (TBC)
– Frederic Hauge, President, Bellona Foundation
– Raymond Johansen, Governing Mayor of Oslo
– Claudia López, Mayor of Bogotá
– Cristina Gamboa, CEO, World Green Building Council (TBC)
Panel moderated by Christian Eriksen, Head of Policy and Research at the Bellona Foundation.
Markets are flooded with green capital; the problem is access to green projects that are bankable and good investments .That’s why we need finance to demand “a race to zero”, a chain of bold decisions top-down – that ultimately lead to emissions reductions from the world’s biggest sources – energy, steel, cement, aluminium, transport and more.
Speakers
– Aker Horizons
– Speakers from the finance sector TBC
Join us for a panel discussion on human rights-based climate litigation during COP26 with leading experts in human rights and environmental law. The event will begin with a stock take of the legal questions that have been solved or clarified so far through human rights-based climate litigation, including questions regarding standing, jurisdiction, duty of care, individual responsibility and obligations towards future generations. Panelists will then explore the ‘next frontier’ of climate litigation and some of the issues that national and international courts will address in the coming decade as litigation to limit global warming to 1.5°C continues.
Several national courts and international bodies have established State responsibility for climate harm towards individuals abroad or future generations. To what extent can international human rights law, and the European Convention on Human Rights in particular, encompass these overarching consequences of States’ greenhouse gas emissions?
Speakers
– Jenny Sandvig, Chief Policy Director, Norwegian National Human Rights Institution (NIM)
– Professor Christina Voigt, University of Oslo
– Lucy Maxwell, Senior legal associate, Urgenda Foundation
Moderated by Lina Strandvåg Nagell, Bellona Europa
A prerequisite to reaching the set aims of the Paris Agreement is to shift capital to sustainable investments. To this end, the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy has caused quite the stir within the EU. But how has it been received internationally? And what international ramifications and ripple effects can the EU classification system for sustainable economic activities have? These are some of the questions up for discussion at Bellona’s COP26 event on sustainable finance. Join us for a rapid panel followed by networking and drinks.
Speakers
-Jeanett Bergan, Suistaiability Director Aker Horizons
-Graeme Sweeney, Chairman, Zero Emissions Platform
– Peter Fox-Penner, Partner & Chief Strategy and Impact Officer, Energy Impact Partners
-Michael Hugman, Director Climate Finance, Children`s Investment Fund Foundation
– Sean Kidney, CEO Climate Bonds Initiative
– Moderated by Federica Di Sario, EU-correspondent Carbon Pulse
The launch of a flagship report showcasing the potential to harness the power of the North Sea through offshore renewable energy generation in Scotland.
Speakers
– Sian Lloyd-Rees, UK Managing Director, Aker Offshore Wind
– Knut Nyborg, CEO, Aker Clean Hydrogen
– Ditlev Engel, CEO, DNV Energy Solutions
With climate shocks posing a significant threat to the livelihoods of women and girls, women- and youth-led solutions that build climate resilience are vital to the health and rights of communities globally. However, solutions and action for climate are often male-driven. With climate change directly affecting women it is imperative they are represented in the development and implementation of solutions.
Speakers
– Barbara Merz, Managing Director, Pathfinder International
-Cecilia Kinuthia-Njenga, Director of Intergovernmental Progress and Collective Progress at UNFCCC
– Dan Kammen, USAID (TBC)
– Ruba Al-Zubi, Sahara Forest Project Representative in Jordan (via video)
– Frederic Hauge, President, Bellona Foundation
– Stig Traavik, Norad
This event will bring together a number of high-level speakers to discuss how countries, companies and international organisations are responding to the challenge to speed up the pace of clean energy technologies development.
Speakers
– Dr. Faith Birol, Executive Director IEA
– K.E. Karine Elharrar, Minister of Energy, Israel
Panel Discussion 1: Technologies and developments increasing our changes or reaching net-zero by 2050
– Fridtjof Fossum Unander, Executive Director, Research Council of Norway
– Patrick Child, Missions Innovation Chair
– Katie Jereze, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, EPRI
Panel Discussion 2: Making innovation count: Mobilising resources and cooperating to change the marketplace for clean energy technology
– Lei Zhang, CEO of Envision Group
– Claudio Facchin, CEO of Hitachi ABB power grids
– TBC, United States
– TBC, India
Moderated by Christophe McGlade, International Energy Agency (IEA).
Countries and regions continue to pledge net zero emissions by 2050, for which deployment of a range of climate mitigation efforts and technologies are necessary. The IEA report “Net Zero by 2050” calls for widespread deployment of CCS technologies. In this event, leading scientists and high-level experts will shed light on how CCS technologies can not only reduce emissions but also remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Ways to build solid business cases and transferring CCS technology to developing countries will also be presented.
Speakers
– Dr. Fatih Birol, Director General, IEA (TBC)
– Dr. Jennifer Wilcox, Acting Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, US DoE (TBC)
– Frederic Hauge, President, The Bellona Foundation
– Valborg Lundegaard, CEO, Aker Carbon Capture
– Fridtjof Unander, Executive director, The Research Council of Norway
– Nils A. Røkke, Executive Vice President Sustainability, SINTEF
The decarbonisation of industry requires a reinvention of production processes with access to a vast new network of climate infrastructures delivering low-carbon electricity, energy carriers, feedstock and abatement solutions. How can we realise this major transformation of our economy in a way that sees new opportunities, jobs and growth return to our industrial heartlands and beyond? How can government enable climate leadership in an industry that remains competitive today and gains an advantage tomorrow? And how can we deliver the new climate infrastructures as the backbone of the net-zero economy at the right scale, pace and price? In two panel discussions, we will discuss the plans and actions to achieve a Just Transition for high carbon industries, the potentials of ‘Building back better’ and ‘levelling up’ agendas, and the international opportunities around the provision of net-zero climate infrastructures.
Speakers:
– Nick Molho, Executive Director, Aldersgate Group
– Karin Turner, Director, Centre for Energy Policy
– Cecile Faraud, Clean Construction Programme Manage, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
– Lee Beck, International Director for Carbon Capture, Clean Air Task Force
– Jane Cooper, Director of Regulatory and External Affairs, Ørsted
– Hilde Tonne, CEO, Statnett
– Cordi O’Hara, President, National Grid Ventures
– Andy Lane, Managing Director, Net-Zero Teesside
– Luciana Miu, Senior researcher, EPG
– Anne-Beth Skrede, Special advisor, Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO)
– Ane Gjengedal, Advisor, Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy
– Justus Andreas, Senior Policy Manager, Bellona
Panels moderated by Dr. Graeme Sweeney, Chairman of Zero Emissions Platform (ZEP)
The ocean has the potential to provide up to one-fifth of emissions reductions necessary to limit warming to 1.5℃. But for ocean climate solutions to be durable, they must also be just and inclusive. Please join the Center for American Progress for a moderated discussion on ocean justice issues in the United States, and how lessons learned by local U.S. leaders can help build greater momentum for ocean climate solutions. Speakers will explore how disparate ocean interventions can incorporate the goals of economic, racial, climate, and environmental justice to improve the public health and wellbeing of all communities, while tackling the climate crises.
Introductory remarks:
Frances Colõn,Senior Director for International Climate Policy, Center for American Progress
Panelists:
-State Senator Chris Lee, Hawaii State Legislature
-Marce Gutierrez-Graudins, Founder and Executive Director, Azul
-Anna-Marie Laura, Director Climate Policy, Ocean Conservancy
Moderator:
Anne Christianson, Director for International Climate Policy, Center for American Progress
Join the conversation by using #OceanClimateAction and #COP26
This event is the kick-off of a brand new renewables guarantee initiative between Norway and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. With an expected Norwegian contribution of NOK 500 million this collaboration will spur much larger commercial investments in renewable energy projects in developing countries.
Speakers:
-Norway’s Minister of International Development, Ms Anne Beate Tvinnereim
-MIGA’s Vice President, Mr Ethiopis Tarafa
-Norad’s Director General, Mr Bård Vegar Solhjell
-Representant from the OECD.
Join us physically or virtually for an exciting launch in Glasgow!
Several development agencies have recently taken steps to ensure that their assistance is more aligned with the Paris agreement. This event will bring actors together to discuss how development assistance can be consistent with a pathway towards low GHG emissions and climate-resilient development, what development agencies can do to reduce their own emissions, and how enhanced collaboration can advance the climate and nature agenda in development cooperation.
The event is hosted by Norad, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.
Much of the discussion on Carbon Dioxide Removal stems from the need to deploy it at significant scales, often ignoring the potential constraints to its deployment. This event will explore the latest research on the realistic deployment potential of Carbon Dioxide Removal with leading academics and experts from the NEGEM project, among them Professor Myles Allen, dubbed by the BBC as ‘the physicist behind net zero’.
Speakers
– Professor Wolfgang Lucht, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
– Professor Myles Allen, University of Oxford
– Kati Koponen, Research scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Panel moderated by policy advisor Mark Preston Aragonès, Bellona.
What is Carbon Dioxide Removal? How does it interact with reducing emissions? This event will address some common misconceptions and identify principles which can guide the conversation on Carbon Dioxide Removal to ensure it is properly defined, accounted and governed to help accelerate climate action.
Speakers
– Samantha Tanzer, PhD Candidate Negative Emissions in the Industrial Sector, TU Delft
– Gilles Dufrasne, Policy officer, Carbon Market Watch
– Frances Wang, Program manager CDR, ClimateWorks
– Matthias Honegger, Senior consultant, Perspectives Climate Group
– Christoph Buettler, CDR Manager, Climeworks AG
Panel moderated by policy advisor Mark Preston Aragonès, Bellona.
Exponential growth in battery production is needed to electrify the global car park. However, the battery production value chain is associated with significant amount of emissions from mining of materials and battery manufacturing. How can we scale up battery production while reducing our footprint at the same time? And can we make carbon negative batteries without cheating?
Speakers and panelists:
– Frederic Hauge, President, BEBA and Founder of Bellona Foundation
– Leonardo Paoli, Energy Analyst of IEA
– Pål Brun, Co-Founder of Morrow Batteries
– Henrik Badin, CEO Vow ASA
– Eivind Berstad, Senior Advisor, Bellona Foundation
Net Zero in general – in some areas this can be quite vague, eg with hard to abate sectors. What do we mean by “hard to abate”? Why are these seemingly left to last? How do hard to abate sectors play into the position of CCS in the energy transition? What are the challenges for hard to abate sectors? Timelines for storage? Technologies for carbon capture? Economics? How can we make hard to abate “easier to abate”?
What is needed? Is it visible carbon pricing / carbon accounting? Is it more policy support? Carrot or stick?
Panel discussion:
-Valborg Lundegaard (ACC, CEO)
-Mark Preston Aragonès (Bellona, Policy Advisor)
-Ana Šerdoner (Bellona, Industry Policy Manager)
-TBC – possible senior executive from Carbfix / or SINTEF
Panel moderated by David Phillips (ACC, H of UK and IR)
The nations bordering the North Sea have long benefited from its bounty. Now these countries, along with the rest of the world,
stand before a challenge on a scale never seen before. North Sea countries have a unique opportunity to use their knowledge
and expertise about the area to implement novel solutions to the climate crisis. This event will present a document cosigned by scientists associated with four international research centres on CCS, offshore wind, low-emission technology and energy transition.
Speakers
Science panel:
– Stefania Gardarsdottir, Director LowEmission, Research manager SINTEF
– Mona Mølnvik, Director Norwegian CCS Research Centre,Research director, SINTEF
– John Olav Tande, Director NorthWind, Chief scientist SINTEF
– Professor Asgeir Tomasgard, Director NTRANS, NTNU
– Olimpo Anaya-Lara, Professor, University of Strathclyde
– Arno van Wingerde, Chief Scientist, Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems
– Roberta Veronezi Figueiredo, Research Scientist, TNO
– DTU (TBC)
– TNO/Wind (TBC)
Industry and NGO panel:
– Sian Lloyd Rees, UK Managing Director, Aker Offshore Wind
– Frederic Hauge, President, Bellona Foundation
Political panel:
– Espen Barth Eide, Norwegian Minister of climate and environment (TBC)
Panels moderated by Nils Røkke, EVP Sustainability, SINTEF
This Oxford Net-Zero discussion is on the concept of a ‘Carbon Takeback Obligation’, a supply-side measure which places producer responsibility onto companies that extract fossil fuels. After an introduction to the concept, a panel discussion with civil society organisations, government and industry will provide their perspectives on the proposal.
Speakers
– Professor Myles Allen, University of Oxford
– Margriet Kuijper, climate policy consultant on carbon takeback
– Dr. Katherine Romanak, Research scientist, University of Texas
– Lee Beck, International Director for Carbon Capture, Clean Air Task Force
– Marjolein Demmers, Director, Natuur & Milieu
Panel moderated by Gabrielle Walker.
Consumers and investors increasingly want to purchase and invest into goods and services that are carbon neutral. How do we ensure that they have reliable, comparable and verifiable information on the climate impacts of different products, technologies, services, and organisations to make informed purchases and investments? This event will take the discussion on climate claims back to climate physics – and provide a simple accounting guide by focusing on the physical flows of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
Speakers
– Ana Serdoner, Industry policy manager, Bellona Foundation
– Sirin Stav, Oslo Municipality Vice Mayor for the Environment
– Angel Hsu, Founder & Director, Data-Driven EnviroLab
– Hermann Ott, Head of German office, Client Earth
– Murray Worthy, Gas Campaign leader, Global Witness
– Andrea Ramirez, Professor of Low Carbon Systems and Technologies TU Delft
Panel moderated by Theo Mitchell, Head of UK and Europe, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.
A panel discussion exploring the role of clean hydrogen and ammonia to decarbonise the global shipping industry with a case study from the Arctic.
Speakers
– Stein Nestvold, Head of Policy & Sustainability, Aker Clean Hydrogen
– Nils Røkke, EVP Sustainability, SINTEF
The decarbonization of international shipping hinges on the timely availability and scale up of green fuels, including necessary infrastructure. The objective of this event is to discuss how the energy and maritime industries can coordinate and jointly ensure sufficient supply and demand for green fuels towards 2030 and 2050, as well as the commitment and next steps needed to accelerate a systemic transition in line with the Paris Agreement.
Speakers
– Rikke Wetter Olufsen, Chair of the Executive Committee and Deputy Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority
– Additional industry representatives and policymakers TBC
Panel moderated by Mads Peter Zacho, Head of Industry Transition, Maersk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping.
This is the decade when the first commercial zero emission aircraft will enter into service. New modes of transportation and disruptive technologies will change the aviation industry as we know it – cutting emissions, creating new business opportunities, and improving connectivity for the communities it serves. Where is the technology today and what are the policies, regulations, and funding necessary to transform this industry tomorrow?
– Widerøe Zero
– Rolls Royce
– Partners on Zero Emissions Aviation
CCS in Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, and India
Speakers:
-Tim Dixon, IEAGHG – Moderator and scene-setting
-Dr Katherine Romanak, University of Texas – Demonstrating secure storage
-Dr Victor Richard Osu, Nigeria Office of the Vice President – Nigeria’s strategy on CCUS
-Dr Lorraine Sobers, University of West Indies (Trinidad and Tobago) – CCS in Trinidad and Tobago (remote)
-Dr Chaturvedi, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, New Delhi – CCS in India
Recent attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant "mark the beginning of a new and gravely dangerous front of the war," the UN atomic agency's director general said last week.
After years of inaction, Germany is working on its Carbon Management Strategy to resolve how CCS can play a role in climate action in industry. At the end of February, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action published first key points and a proposal to amend the law Kohlenstoffdioxid Speicherungsgesetz (KSpG). Bellona Deutschland, who was actively involved in the previous stakeholder dialogue submitted a statement in the association hearing.
In the midst of a global discussion on whether natural gas should be used as a transitional fuel and whether emissions from its extraction, production, transport and use are significantly less than those from other fossil fuels, Russia has developed ambitious plans to increase its own production of liquified natural gas (LNG) in the Arctic – a region with 75% of proven gas reserves in Russia – to raise its share in the international gas trade.
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our main focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution risks and climate change.