UrbanBetter @COP28

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Are you at COP28?

The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is being held in Dubai, UAE from 30 November – 12 December 2023. 

What are we doing?

Our goal is to highlight the importance of health for climate action.  We are pleased to share with you the events that we’ll be participating as speakers or hosting. 

3rd December

  • 13:00 – 13:45: Impact of climate change on health and the gaps in research related to the effect of climate change and health. Egyptian Pavillion, Blue zone, zone B3, Building 25.

Climate change is a global threat to health, and it is impacting our health and wellness. We need to direct our research and cooperate across disciplines, and regions to be able to face this challenge. Experts and researchers should form partnerships together to prepare for climate-driven health problems. However, the risk is very high, engagement of researchers is still limited in several regions around the world. The proposed discussion session will enable revising the ongoing efforts, highlight challenges and provide directions for the future.

Speakers: Prof, Sameh Soror, Dean Faculty of Pharmacy, Helwan University Egypt; Prof. Ashraf Shalaan, Former president of Egypt National Research Center, Egypt; Prof. Tolullah Oni, Professor at University of Cambridge, UK; Dr. Robin Fears, EASAC Programme Director and IAP consultant.

3rd December 

  • 16:30 – 18:00: COP28 climate and health solutions showcase. DP Pavillion / Impact Hub, Green zone.

This event will showcase a range of high-impact, evidence-backed interventions across the climate-health nexus. These interventions will demonstrate the strong investment case for financing climate-health programs to improve, protect and promote population health in the face of climate change; build climate resilient and environmentally sustainable health systems; and generate health co-benefits from climate action across all sectors of the economy. This Green Zone event will align to the simultaneous Blue Zone events such as the Finance Roundtable on climate and health and the Climate-Health Ministerial. The outcome of this event is to amplify this year’s agenda of climate-health financing for a healthier climate future.

Speakers: Prof Michael Kremer, Nobel laureate & Professor in Economics, University of Chicago; Ms Ashley Emerson, Chief Innovation & Programs Officer, Health in Harmony; Mr Francis Nona, First Nations academic & health practitioner, Curamba Institute, Mr Paul Mitchell, Principal Climate Change Advisor, Save the Children; Prof Tolullah Oni, Professor at University of Cambridge, Founder of UrbanBetter & Commissioner of Lancet Pathfinder Initiative; Prof Sotiris Vardoulakis, Director, Australian Healthy Environments and Lives (HEAL) National Research Network.

4th December 

  • 10:00 – 11:00: The impact of climate change on child and adolescent health and well-being and what action must be taken. UNICEF Pavilion, Blue zone, B7, Building 90.

This event, organised by UNICEF & Wellcome Trust, will highlight how climate change is impacting the health of children and young people. It will also showcase solutions that can both tackle the climate crisis while also safeguarding and improving young people’s health.

Speakers: Alice Bell, Head of Climate and Health Policy, Wellcome Trust; Tolullah Oni, Professor at University of Cambridge & Founder/CEO of UrbanBetter; Oumnia Anfer, Medical Extern at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Casablanca; Revati Phalkey, Global Director Health and Nutrition at Save the Children International; Abheet Solomon, Lead for Unicef’s Healthy Environments for Healthy Children programme; Fisayo Oyewale & Clare Nassanaga, Youth Advocates.

4th December

  • 12:00-13:00: Health as entry point for SDG /climate synergy: a focus on cities, air pollution and justice. SDG Pavilion, Blue zone.

In this UrbanBetter organised event, we will explore with panellists the windows of opportunity for intersectoral policy making and advocacy at the health/SDG/climate interface.

Live stream – https://www.youtube.com/unitednationsDESA

Speakers:Tolullah Oni, University of Cambridge, UrbanBetter; Sarah Whitmee, Assistant Professor, LSHTM & Lead author of Lancet Pathfinder Commission; Sean Maquire, Strategic Partnerships Director, Clean Air Fund; Bruno Carrasco, Director General, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, Asia Development Bank; Reena Gupta, Advisor, Environment Department, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, India; Manuel Araujo, Mayor of Quelimane, Mozambique; Olumide Idowu, Co-Founder, International Climate Change Development Initiative; Executive Coordinator, African Youth Initiative on Climate Change; UrbanBetter Cityzen.

5th December

  • 9:30-10: 45: Harnessing the health co-benefits of climate action​. Health Pavilion,  Blue zone.

This event, co-hosted by partners from academia, policy and practice, will facilitate discussion on the health co-benefits of climate action, to inform and inspire ambitious commitments and action at COP28 and beyond.  

The session will include a presentation of key findings and recommendations from the recently published Lancet Pathfinder Commission report and announce the launch of a new Coalition on Climate Action for Health.

​​Speakers will provide an overview of evidence on climate mitigation actions with the largest potential co-benefits across sectors and highlight the main pathways to health, as well as presenting case studies of implemented solutions with measured climate and health benefits.   

​​The presentations will cover a range of topics relating to climate mitigation and health, including actions across different sectors; priorities, challenges and opportunities for diverse regions, countries and cities; and the integration of health co-benefits into climate policies and UNFCCC processes.  

Speakers: ​Joy Phumaphi, Executive Secretary, African Leaders Malaria Alliance & Pathfinder Co-Chair, ​​Dr Sarah Whitmee, Assistant Professor, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, ​Dr Elizabeth Kimani, Public Health Nutrition Specialist and Head of the Maternal and Child Wellbeing Unit, African Population and Health Research Center, Grayson Fuller, Manager, SDG Index and Data, Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Aimée Aguilar Jaber, Programme Lead systems thinking and transformative change for net zero and resilience, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; Tolullah Oni, University of Cambridge, UrbanBetter.

6th December

  • 13:15-14:45: Redefining Success: A Just and Equitable Transition through greater Climate Action and SDGs Synergies. SE Room 7, Blue zone (Official COP28 Side event).

The first global report on climate and SDG synergies, “Synergy Solutions for a World in Crisis: Tackling Climate and SDG Action Together,” developed by the Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy- co-convened by UNFCCC and UN DESA, underscores that addressing climate change and achieving the SDGs are inextricably intertwined, and that o-benefits of synergistic action far outweigh trade-offs. It also demonstrates that by maximising synergies, we can also bridge investment gaps worth trillions of dollars. Bottom line is that we must act on the climate emergency and sustainable development together now to ensure a just and equitable transition towards a net-zero, climate-resilient future.

Speakers: Mr. Luis Gomez-Echeverri, Emeritus Research Scholar, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Co-chair of Climate and SDG Expert, Ms. Diána Ürge-Vorsatz, Director, Center for Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Policy (3CSEP), Vice-Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Member of Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy, Mr. Kazuhiko Takeuchi, President, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Ms. Razan Al Mubarak, President, of IUCN, Ms. Barbara Buchner, Global Managing Director, Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), Member of Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy, Mr. Moustapha Kamal Gueye, Global Coordinator, Green Jobs Programme, International Labour Organization (ILO), Ms. Tolullah Oni, Clinical Professor, University of Cambridge & Founder, UrbanBetter, Member of Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy.

6th December

  • 18:30-20:00: Better understanding the economic impacts of climate change and accelerating science-based action. SE Room 6, Blue zone (Official COP28 Side event).

Science is fundamental to the global climate policy processes and action. The findings of physical climate science over recent decades have generated a deeper understanding of the very serious risks to human societies and ecosystems from current and future climate change. Economists also have sought to understand and assess the economic impacts of current and future climate and to inform governmental and private sector policies, finance, and strategic decisions. However, many economic assessments do not adequately reflect the scientific evidence of current and future climate change, often resulting in misleading portrayals of the possible economic consequences of climate change.

This side event, jointly organised by the International Science Council (ISC) and the UK Royal Society, will present key findings of the work undertaken by the UK Royal Society and ISC on how to better understand economic impacts of climate change and accelerate science-based climate action globally.

Moderator: Professor Tolullah Oni, Clinical Professor, University of Cambridge & Founder, UrbanBetter, ISC Fellow.

Speakers: Professor Jim Skea, IPCC Chair; Professor Detlef Stammer, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, University of Hamburg, Chair of the Joint Scientific Committee of the World Climate Research Programme. ISC Fellow; Professor Cameron Hepburn, Battcock Professor of Environmental Economics, Smith School of Enterprise & the Environment, University of Oxford; Professor Zakri Abdul Hamid, Chair of Atri Advisory, Ambassador and Science Advisor, Campaign for Nature (CFN), ISC Fellow; Åsa Persson, Research Director and Deputy Director, Stockholm Environment Institute.

Get in touch

If you’d like to find out more / explore partnership, send us an email to hello@urbanbetter.science

 

While you’re here…

– Read about the Cityzens4CleanAir campaign outcomes in the run up to and at last year’s COP27.

– Find out more about the UrbanBetter Cityzens mission to harness urban infrastructure and development for planetary health through the air we breathe, our spaces and places and the food we eat.

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