|
Your daily must-read during the UN climate change summit in Paris | COP21 Day #5
|
|
|
French foreign minister Laurent Fabius has urged negotiators to pick up the pace to make sure they finish the job by 11 December, The Local reports. "My message is clear: we must accelerate the process because there is still a lot of work to do," he said. BusinessGreen knows that France and the UN have released a 50-page draft text which suggests many of the key issues remain unresolved. China and India in particular are accusing rich nations of trying to dodge their commitments to help poor countries pay the costs of coping with climate change. And while the text includes commitments for countries to review their commitments every five years, square brackets indicate that disagreement remains over how that should work. An updated draft text is set to be released today ahead of a deadline of midday tomorrow, when environment ministers are scheduled to take over from their negotiators.
|
|
A change is sweeping through boardrooms across Europe. Executives in every industry are waking up to the challenge that climate change is posing to their business, reports BusinessGreen. A new study launched by Climate-KIC in Paris during COP21 has surveyed more than 130 board level executives from businesses across the EU, and found that 63 per cent of European business leaders think climate change poses a regulatory and physical risk to their business. But Reuters highlights that less than one in four of the companies surveyed said their research and development departments have sufficient expertise to respond to climate change, while nearly two thirds dedicate 5 per cent or less of their R&D budget to climate innovation, indicating that their attempts to curb emissions are being thwarted by a lack of focus on innovation and new technology.
|
|
|
Economists and scientists have proposed a number of plans that, if implemented worldwide, would be highly effective at keeping global warming below 2 degrees. But putting such policies in place worldwide is not on the table, reports The Atlantic, because they are “politically impossible.” The proposals listed by The Atlantic include a worldwide cap on greenhouse gases, a carbon tax (something which Tesla's Elon Musk called for in Paris yesterday) and cap-and-trade-system systems. But city, state and regional governments carry a lot of weight in this area, and many are already forging ahead with these solutions. Governor Jerry Brown of California is one of the most high profile regional leaders to push for action, and is set to arrive at COP21 today – one day sooner than planned, says the Los Angeles Times.
|
|
The New York Times reports that with the historic COP21 deal in the making, the writing is on the wall for big coal. Investors have responded by abandoning coal stocks, and many institutions — including California’s biggest pension plans and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund — have found it easy to drop underperforming coal holdings, the paper says. The German insurance giant Allianz said last month that it would eliminate coal from its nearly $2 trillion portfolio and would invest heavily in renewable energy sources. According to the latest global energy outlook from the International Energy Agency, coal use peaked eight years ago among major industrialised nations. Thermal coal, which is used in power generation, peaked globally in 2013 and is expected to decline as much as 4 per cent in 2015.
|
|
Scroll Down for Social Media Highlights
 The next Daily Planet will be with you on Monday morning, but first: scroll down for COP21 social media highlights, including a high-level "photobomb". Today's Daily Planet also brings you insider tips from Le Bourget where the negotiations are taking place, our insight of the day about the role of business in solving climate change as well an overview of climate innovation events in Paris and a flashback to how we made it to Paris. Not a subscriber yet? Subscribe today!
|
|
Insider Tips from the Summit in Le Bourget
|
|
|
The Daily Planet's latest insider tips, brought to you by Climate-KIC's observers at the COP21 negotiations.
- COP21's electric shuttle: Did you know you can use the COP21 electric vehicle shuttle to travel between Paris and Le Bourget if you're an accredited participant?
- Bingo!: Today is B.I.N.G.O. day, which focuses on business and industry. Former UNFCCC head Yvo de Boer moderates an event in the Blue Zone about cross-sector collaboration and public-private partnerships, kick-off at 16:45.
- Best coffee: Politico says you'll find the best coffee at COP21 in Hall 4. Conveniently, "Alto Cafe" is right by the Climate-KIC stand (45 C), stop by for a chat!
|
|
|
- It's Oceans day at the Rio Conventions Pavilion: Watch a screening of the film The Nature of People, a documentary film focused on people adapting in changing coastal communities at 13:00, or watch Moana Rua: The Rising of the Sea at 18:00 about the urgency of climate change for Pacific Islanders.
|
|
|
Weekend Tips:
- Saturday is Actions Day with big names like Al Gore and Michael Bloomberg — make sure to check out the programme.
- The OECD pavilion hosts an event at 9:15 about a new Climate-KIC project that rates investment funds according to their climate impact.
- There's a late-afternoon workshop in the Green Zone at 17:30 about innovative projects and financial solutions in cities.
- On Sunday, most will be catching up on sleep. Next week will be even more intense, as time starts to run out for a deal!
|
|
Sparking Innovation: Insight of the Day
|
|
|
|
A new Climatea-KIC study — released in Paris yesterday — shows European business is addicted to incrementalism, and lacks the skillset needed for an innovation step change in line with a 2°C trajectory. The Daily Planet brings you an insight per day!
Did you know: Despite the positive ambitions of European business, only 3 in 10 (29%) see a large amount of scope to respond to climate change using innovative technologies and ways of working.
|
|
Climate Innovation at COP21
|
|
|
|
Today in central Paris (Grand Palais) from 20:30.
Join the Climate-KIC community for a celebration of Europe’s climate innovation champions. Learn about our most exciting and successful climate innovations, meet our climate champions, and hear from experts and passionate leaders.
More info >>
|
|
Today in Le Bourget from 16:45 – 18:15.
Yvo de Boer, Director-General at GGGI and former executive secretary of the UNFCCC, will moderate an event with perspectives on cross-sector collaboration and public-private partnerships that aim at delivering scalable climate solutions.
More info >>
|
|
This Weekend in Paris and Le Bourget
|
|
Global Climathon goes COP21
Tomorrow in central Paris (Grand Palais) from 11:00 until 12:50.
Presentation of the winning solutions from 12 cities across 6 continents from the globally successful hackathon-style Climathon 2015.
More info >>
|
|
|
|
Rating investment funds according to climate impact: COP21 side event
Tomorrow in Le Bourget from 9:15 until 10:45.
CLIMPAX, a new Climate-KIC project, rates investment funds according to their climate impact.
More info >>
|
|
Meet the Climate-KIC Alumni Association in 30 minutes
Tomorrow in central Paris (Grand Palais) from 14:45 until 15:15.
Climate-KIC’s Alumni Association will present itself during a 30-minute “Speaker’s Corner” style event.
More info >>
|
|
Workshop on innovative projects and financial solutions in cities
Tomorrow in Le Bourget from 17:30 until 18:30.
This workshop will elaborate how to best create matchmaking opportunities between cities seeking access to finance for their low-carbon projects and investors that look for bankable city-level projects.
|
|
|
Circles: This is a thing at COP21, young people are drawing circles around their eyes to call for zero carbon. Chloe Maxmin took this photo just outside the UN conference centre in Le Bourget.
"#youth paint circles around eyes to call for #zeroby2050 and 1.5c warming limit at #COP21," she tweeted.
|
|
|
NOT a photobomb: Just in case you missed the "photobomb" by president Ikililou Dhoinine of the Comoros during an historic handshake between Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas at COP21. AFP tweeted the photo and clarified that it was unintentional.
"Non, ceci n'est pas un #photobombing http://u.afp.com/bomb #AFP #COP21," the tweet reads.
|
|
|
Daily #JourneyToParis Flashback
|
|
|
#JourneyToParis:
We have arrived!
 Following a virtual journey that started in June, we have arrived in Paris and now keep you up to date with daily reports from COP21.
Find out how we got here by checking out our Journey to Paris, which took us across 27 countries. We put a spotlight on innovators who are already creating solutions across Europe.
We have an unprecedented opportunity to create a prosperous zero carbon future, driven by innovation, jobs, and investment. Climate-KIC is seizing that opportunity for Europe by connecting both public and private sectors with climate change-focused education, research and innovation. Join us!
|
Get in touch
 Drop the Daily Planet newsroom a line if you have any questions or tips!
Contact our editors — based in Paris and London during COP21 — on Twitter or send us an email at media@climate-kic.org.
Connect with Climate-KIC's COP21 observers at the official UN site in Le Bourget: Tweet @krptndr or email andrea.karpati@climate-kic.org.
|
|
EDITORIAL: Executive Editor: Angela Howarth | Editor in Chief: Peter Koekoek | Editor, Events: Kelsey Hunter | Editor, Social Media: Molly Redmond | Reporter, Le Bourget: Andrea Karpati
PUBLISHER: Climate-KIC, the EU's main climate innovation initiative © 2015 Climate-KIC
|
|
Share the Daily Planet with
your friends and colleagues!
|
|
|
|
|
Planet
