From 6 to 18 November 2022, the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – UNFCCC COP27 – delivered action on a variety of issues critical to tackling the climate emergency, from urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building resilience, and adapting to the inevitable impacts of climate change, to delivering on the commitments to finance climate action in developing countries.

Faced with a growing energy crisis, record greenhouse gas concentrations, and increasing extreme weather events, COP27 sought renewed solidarity between countries, to turn the global climate goals of the Paris Agreement into concrete action, for people and the planet.

Research by the International Resource Panel (IRP) has found that the unsustainable use of natural resources, in particular by high-income countries, lies at the heart of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution and waste. Resource efficiency and circular economy solutions are therefore central to solutions for the triple planetary crisis. Climate goals cannot be achieved without urgent action to transform how we use and manage natural resources to deliver wellbeing.

The IRP Co-Chairs Janez Potočnik and Izabella Teixeira took this message to the UNFCCC COP27 at several side events.

 

IRP Co-Organized Side events: 

“Changing systems - resource solutions for planetary stability”

Side event at the UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub 
11 November 2022 | 14:00 GMT+2 

  • Organizers: UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub (UGIH); International Resource Panel (IRP) 

  • For more information, click here

Session description:  

Current climate commitments will not be enough to limit warming to below 1.5, or even 2 degrees, above pre-industrial levels. The way we extract, process, consume and dispose of natural resources is responsible for over 50 per cent of global GHG emissions, and contributes to 90 per cent of biodiversity loss, and 1/3rd of pollution-related health impacts. Guided by science, countries must increase the ambition of their climate policies. Decision-makers must look to natural resource management solutions, especially those that support sustainable consumption and production and a circular economy, which address multiple aspects of the planet’s crises together. 

Scientific insights from the International Resource Panel on how resource use can be reduced through designing systems to minimise the initial demand for resource intensive products were shared, and complemented by policy perspectives from a representative of the outgoing G20 Presidency from Indonesia, as well as key actors in this space.

See the full recording of the event below:

Speakers:  

Moderator: Massamba Thioye (Director, UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub)

Izabella Teixeira (Co-Chair, International Resource Panel) 

Dr. Medrilzam (Director of Environmental Affairs, Ministry of National Development Planning, BAPPENAS, Government of Indonesia)

Dennis Pamlin (Head/Senior Advisor, Mission Innovation’s Net Zero Innovation Initiative)

Aline Mosnier (Scientific Director, Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land-Use, and Energy (FABLE) Consortium) 

Maria Tsavachidis (CEO, EIT Urban Mobility)

Ramona Liberoff (Director, Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE))

 

“Beyond decarbonization: Tackling the triple planetary crisis through resource use reduction”

High-level side event at the German pavilion 
17 November 2022 | 13:30 GMT+2 

  • Organizers: Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV); International Resource Panel (IRP) 

  • For more information, click here 

Session description:  

The science is clear: the unsustainable use of natural resources is driving the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. The transition to sustainable—and ultimately reduced—resource use is an economic, security and resilience imperative. In this event, representatives from the UN’s leading science policy platforms – IRP, IPCC, and IPBES – took the stage together for the first time and highlighted the central role of the global use of resources for addressing the triple planetary crisis, pointing to potential solutions.

See the full recording of the event below:

Speakers:  

Steffi Lemke (Minister, German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection) 

Janez Potočnik (Co-Chair, International Resource Panel)

Izabella Texeira (Co-Chair, International Resource Panel)

Jim Skea (Professor of Sustainable Energy, Imperial College London and Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III)

Giovanna Valverde (10YFP/One Planet Network Co-Chair and Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN Habitat, Embassy of Costa Rica in Kenya)

Josef Settele (Co-Chair of the IPBES Global Assessment; Member of the Multidisciplinary Expert Panel of IPBES; Author of the IPBES-IPCC co-sponsored Workshop Report on Biodiversity and Climate Change; and Head of Department of Conservation Biology and Social-Ecological Systems, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ)

 

Events with IRP participation: 

“High-level session on systems change and climate and sustainability innovations”

Side event at the UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub 
7 November 2022 | 12:00 GMT+2  

  • Organizer: UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub (UGIH) 

  • For more information, click here

Session description:  

In line with the objectives of the UGIH, this high-level session led discussions on how moonshot mindset and systems thinking can serve an expanded climate and sustainability innovation space. The panellists shared ideas, experience and plans for future actions that can contribute in encouraging the development and upscaled deployment of transformative and ambitious climate and sustainability solutions that are in line with the 1.5-degree goal and can help in the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals.

See the full recording of the event below:

Speakers:  

Welcome remarks

Massamba Thioye (Project Executive, UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub)

Panel discussion

Moderator: Kirsten Dunlop (CEO, Climate KIC)

Sandrine Dixson-Decléve (Co-President, Club of Rome)

Ibrahim Thiaw (Executive Secretary, UNCCD)

Jeffrey Sachs (President and Co-Chair, Sustainable Solutions Development Networks)

Janez Potočnik (Co-Chair of the International Resource Panel)

Andrew Steer (President & CEO, Bezos Earth Fund)

Fanglu Wang (Managing Director, CITIC Capital

 

“High-level session on human well-being, climate change, biodiversity, land regeneration and resource preservation”

Side event at the UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub 
11 November 2022 | 10:00 GMT+2  

  • Organizer: UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub (UGIH) 

  • For more information, click here 

Session description:  

The session sought to explore how to ensure human well-being including the satisfaction of core human needs of nutrition and health, shelter, access, leisure and clothing in line with climate and sustainability (including the biodiversity, land regeneration and resource preservation agendas) goals. Particularly it explored how the three conventions (climate change, biodiversity, and desertification) can contribute to the satisfaction of the core human needs in line with the climate and sustainability agenda.

See the full recording of the event below:

Speakers:  

Panel Discussion 

Moderator: Youssef Nasser (Director, Adaptation, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)

Andrea Meza (Deputy Executive Secretary, United Nation Convention for Combat Desertification (UNCCD))

Izabella Teixeira (Co-chair, International Resource Panel)

Maria Virginia Vilariño (Lead Author of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) on Climate Change Mitigation (Working Group III), Member of Expert Peer Review Group (EPRG))

Manuel Otero (Execute Secretary, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture)

Dipa Bagai (Country Head, India Program, Natural Resources Defence Council)

Caroline Dumas (IOM DG`s Special Envoy for Migration and Climate Action)

 

“Circular Principles for Carbon Neutrality – Accelerating a transition to a circular economy through business leadership and partnerships”

High-level side event at the Japanese Pavilion 
17 November 2022 | 17:30 GMT+2 

  • Organizers: Japan Ministry of Environment, World Economic Forum 

  • For more information, click here 

Session description:  

Building upon the discussion at COP26, the session continued to build a momentum on a transition to a circular economy to achieve decarbonization, focusing on promoting private sector actions and key drivers.  

At this session, the Japanese Government and the World Economic Forum brought together key public and private sector participants to discuss the crucial elements for circular and climate neutral transition throughout the value chain, and how to scale circular economy and resource efficiency solutions. 

Full recording: coming soon

Speakers (Tentative list):

Moderator: Kristin Hughes (Executive Director for Resource Circularity, World Economic Forum)

Opening Remarks

Akihiro Nishimura (Minister of Environment, Japan)

Vivianne Heijnen (Minister for the Environment, Netherlands)

Group Panel Discussion

Wataru Baba (Senior Fellow, Sustainability and Climate, Panasonic Group)

Daisuke Kanazawa (Advisor to General Manager, Green Transformation Division, Mitsubishi Chemical Group, Collaborative Researcher, Center for Global Commons, Institute of Future Initiatives, University of Tokyo)

Andreas Follér (Head of Sustainability, Scania CV AB)

Izabella Teixeira (Co-Chair, International Resource Panel)

Nidhi Baiswar (Sustainability and Climate Leadership Director, JLL)