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Join us next month at COP30 for a Newsweek event that brings together leaders from energy, agriculture, marine science and public health during the pivotal United Nations climate negotiations. You can register here for in-person attendance or to join the livestream of “Pillars of the Green Transition, COP30,” on November 13. On the heels of the two warmest years on record, the climate talks will take place in the Amazon for the first time in Belem, Brazil. The Amazon and other major forests play an important climate role by balancing the carbon cycle. Science tells us that we can’t solve the climate crisis without nature-based solutions such as forest conservation, more sustainable agriculture and improved ocean management. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the landmark Paris Climate Agreement, and world leaders will discuss updated national plans to address ways to reduce emissions as they meet rising energy demand. Newsweek will help to shed light on the main issues with a series of speakers and panel discussions featuring key players from industry, academia and civil society. COP30 Special Envoy for Oceans Marinez Scherer, a marine biologist and coastal management expert, will explain how our oceans are part of climate solutions. Scherer coordinates the Integrated Coastal Management Laboratory at Brazil's Federal University of Santa Catarina and has worked to improve coastal and marine management on four continents. Dr. Vanessa Kerry will discuss the critical connections between climate change and global health. Kerry is the co-founder and CEO of Seed Global Health, a nonprofit organization focused on strengthening health systems, and she is a leading advocate for a health-centered response to climate impacts. Global demand for electricity is surging in part due to the growing need to cool more homes and buildings in a warming world. As the world gets hotter, how can we keep people cool without driving emissions—and temperatures—even higher? Our panel features experts from one of the world’s largest manufacturers of cooling equipment, Daikin, and the global nonprofit Clasp, who lay out a path to low-carbon cooling solutions through improved energy efficiency. COP30 promises to be a breakthrough moment linking the climate crisis with nature conservation, agriculture and food systems. Initiatives to reduce deforestation and to protect and restore coastal marine ecosystems all present nature-based solutions to the climate challenge. Panama’s Special Representative for Climate Change and Vice President of COP30 Juan Carlos Monterrey-Gomez will discuss how his country is embracing conservation as climate solution. Monterrey-Gomez leads Panama’s climate policy efforts and has quickly become a pivotal international voice on climate concerns. Our panel will also include industry leaders from agriculture and food systems, a sector responsible for roughly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Livestock, fertilizer use and the shipping and packaging of food produce vast amounts of CO2, and the expansion of cropland and pastures often lead to deforestation. But regenerative farming practices and new technology hold the promise to help make our food systems draw down carbon instead of releasing it. Our panel includes representatives from global food company Danone, biotechnology giant Bayer and the sustainability food rating company HowGood. They will describe ways that farms and food systems can also help to grow climate solutions. We hope you can join us for these lively, timely and important discussions.
