The Climate Academy 2022
Agenda

Time: 13:00 to 14:00 (CEST) | 06:00 to 07:00 (PET) | 18:00 to 19:00 (ICT)
Open event

UNU-EHS provides an online learning platform for the Climate Academy. This can be used by all interested participants to network, exchange ideas and concretely contribute to solution ideas and problem descriptions. In this online introduction, we will explain to participants how to register for the platform, how to use it and what role it will play in the Climate Academy 2022.

Moderation:
Himanshu Shekhar, Associate Academic Officer, UNU-EHS

Time: 13:00 to 14:30 (CEST) | 06:00 to 07:00 (PET) | 18:00 to 19:00 (ICT)
Open event

Welcome:
Christian Barthelt, Senior Projectmanager, Munich Re Foundation
Xiaomeng Shen, Vice-Rector in Europe and the Director of UNU-EHS

Speakers:
Josef Noll, Professor, Department of Technology, University of Oslo, Norway 
Erick Tambo, Head Pan African Cooperation and Educational Technologies (PACET), UNU-EHS
Koko Warner, Manager, Vulnerability subdivision, Adaptation division, UNFCCC
Pourya Salehi, Acting Head of Urban Research Team, ICLEI
Christine Juta, Power Futures Lab, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Moderation:
Himanshu Shekhar, Associate Academic Officer, UNU-EHS

Time: 15:30 to 17:00 (CEST) | 08:30 to 10:00 (PET) | 20:30 to 22:00 (ICT)
By invitation only - Interactive workshop

Speakers: 
Christian Barthelt, Senior Project Manager, Munich Re Foundation
Erick Tambo, Head Pan African Cooperation and Educational Technologies (PACET), UNU-EHS 
Pourya Salehi, Acting Head of Urban Research Team, ICLEI
Koko Warner, Manager, Vulnerability subdivision, Adaptation division, UNFCCC
Josef Noll, Professor, Department of Technology, University of Oslo, Norway

Moderation:
Himanshu Shekhar, Associate Academic Officer, UNU-EHS

Time: 13:00 to 14:30 (CEST) | 06:00 to 07:30 (PET) | 18:00 to 19:30 (ICT)
Open event

Speakers:
Dennis Pamlin, Executive Director Mission Innovations Net-Zero Compatible Innovation Initiative
Josef Noll, Secretary General of Basic Internet Foundation, Norway
Livia Correa, Chief of Environmental Development, City of São José dos Campos, Brazil
Maryke van Staden, Director of ICLEI's Bonn Center for Local Climate Action and Reporting (carbonn Climate Center), Germany

Moderation:
Pourya Salehi, Acting Head of Urban Research Team, ICLEI 

Description of the session:
A plethora of initiatives for climate action in cities exist, but almost all are based on a “static problem approach”, where the focus is on how cities shall reduce their own emissions from existing structures rather than explore how human needs can be met in ways that are compatible with globally sustainable development agendas and frameworks. After the Paris Agreement, the focus is now shifting from incremental GHG emission reductions in existing systems to sustainable 1.5 °C pathways that leverage transformative solutions.

With a static problem approach, that ignores the many opportunities in the 4th industrial revolution, a 1.5 °C focus tends to result in dramatic end-of-pipe measures, such as CCS or even geoengineering, and massive supply-side measures, such as large-scale biofuel projects. Such measures can play an important role, but only if global sustainability and the possibility to deliver flourishing lives for 11 billion are included in the strategies.

In contrast to a static problem approach, there are a growing number of initiatives with a “dynamic approach”, but without a sustainability focus. These initiatives build on the opportunities provided by the 4th industrial revolution but without an understanding of the deep and fast emissions reductions of greenhouse gases as well as the extreme resource efficiency that are needed for global sustainability. Only accelerating the uptake of disruptive solutions, from AI and IoT to cloud solutions and the use of big data, tend to focus on improvement in existing systems, but accelerates unsustainable resource consumption as well as wealth concentration, and is therefore unsustainable.

Cities are a major source of emission, but also a major source of innovation and export
With an expanded innovation agenda cities have the potential of moving beyond only reducing, or avoiding, their own GHG emissions and also becoming providers of the climate solutions the world needs. With a focus on human needs, rather than the improvement of existing systems, the urgent need for 1.5 °C compatible solutions can be used by leading cities as a driver for innovation where the cities solve their own challenges while also becoming leading exporters of climate solutions. A “dynamic solution approach”, when the cities are not only reducing – or avoiding – their own emissions, but with the help of opportunities provided by the 4th industrial revolution also help the rest of the world, has the potential to position leading cities as providers of globally sustainable climate solutions.

Time: 15:30 to 17:00 (CEST) | 08:30 to 10:00 (PET) | 20:30 to 22:00 (ICT)
Open event

Speakers:
Rohit Sen, Head Sustainable Energy, ICLEI World Secretariat
Enoq Nyorekwa Twinoburyo,  Senior Economist, SDG Center for Africa
Grace Nanteza, German Agency for International Cooperation, Uganda
Ifeanyi B. Orajaka, Managing Director, GVE Projects Ltd., Nigeria
Xavier Ochieng, Lecturer, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya

Moderation:
Erick Tambo, Head Pan African Cooperation and Educational Technologies (PACET), UNU-EHS 

Concept:

The dynamics of energy in the global south, particularly in the sub-Saharan Africa are often different from other parts of the world. Access to electricity in the Global South and specifically in many African countries still remains limited. While the past decades have witnessed commendable increase in access, it remains disproportionately low in the rural areas.  For a continent rich in traditional as well as cleaner sources of energy, a balanced approach to enhance energy access while contributing to climate action is needed. The emergence of digital technologies and innovations offers a window to modernize existing energy generation, transmission and distribution infrastructures and accelerate the deployment of decentralized, sustainable renewable energy solutions that can address electricity access challenges both for urban and rural populations and contribute to the global and regional climate and decarbonization agendas.

The question of energy in the global south context has two defining pillars:

a)       Access to the energy

b)      Sustainability of energy sources

In this agenda setting webinar, our aim is to a) highlight key challenges faced by the countries of the sub-Saharan Africa in accessing reliable and sustainable energy sources and b) postulate technology driven solutions as complementary and feeder to the prevailing practices. We aim to showcase that such an approach has the potential to foster transformative climate action while providing reliable and equitable access to energy. 

Time: 13:00 to 14:30 (CEST) | 06:00 to 07:30 (PET) | 18:00 to 19:30 (ICT)
Open event - Presentations by selected participants

Speakers:
Christine Juta, Power Futures Lab, University of Cape Town, South Africa
"The political economy of a next wave of power sector reforms in Africa, driven by unprecedented innovation in enabling technologies and business models"

Fabio Iannone, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Italy
"Renewable energy communities as a way to enhance social, environmental and economic development of local population in rural areas"

Vicky Ghafi Kondi Akara, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), Rwanda
"Weather variability and socio-economic factors effect on electricity demand in 47 African cities"

Fortunate Farirai, Sustenergy, Zimbabwe
"Opportunities of Green Hydrogen in Zimbabwe"

Marianne Zeyringer, University of Oslo, Norway
"Climate resilient energy system design"

Moderation:
Christian Barthelt, Senior Project Manager, Munich Re Foundation

Time: 15:30 to 17:00 (CEST) | 08:30 to 10:00 (PET) | 20:30 to 22:00 (ICT)
Open event - Presentations by selected participants

Speakers:
Grace Nanteza, German Agency for International Cooperation, Uganda
"Remote monitoring to accelerate Access to Clean Energy and promote productive use of Energy"

Parveen Kumar, Maastricht University, the Netherlands
"Households’ energy usage knowledge and behavior – A comparative study of Global South and Global North"

Aboubakr Benazzouz, Green Energy Park, Morocco
"GREEN-GRID: Development of a Smart Green Microgrid in the African context"

Fides Kirimi, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, Kenya
"Unpacking climate change Governance in the context of Just Energy Transition"

Pietro Visetti, Green Digital Finance Alliance, Switzerland
"Encyclopenergy"

Moderation:
Himanshu Shekhar, Associate Academic Officer, UNU-EHS

Time: 13:00 to 14:30 (CEST) | 06:00 to 07:30 (PET) | 18:00 to 19:30 (ICT)
Open event - Presentations by selected participants

Speakers:
Carlos Cadena, EAFIT University, Colombia
"Climate action in urban contexts. Learning from collaborative climate governance in Medellín, Colombia"

Hrishikesh Ballal, (Founder and Lead Developer – Geodesignhub, Ireland (Republilc of)
"Addressing Proximity and Urban Sprawl"

Lisa Indah Wijayani, Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), Indonesia
"Harnessing digitalization to foster energy transition in Industrial sector"

Dereje Yohannes Ashenafi, United Nation Economic Commission for Africa, Ethiopia
"Emerging technologies as a fundamental component of Smart cities for energy conservation and to mitigate climate change, the case of Africa"

Aprajita Dubey, National Institute of Urban Affairs, India
"Utilizing the National Urban Innovation Stack (NUIS) under the National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM) to enable integration across ecosystems towards sustainability and climate transformation in India"

Moderation:
Himanshu Shekhar, Associate Academic Officer, UNU-EHS

Time: 15:30 to 17:00 (CEST) | 08:30 to 10:00 (PET) | 20:30 to 22:00 (ICT)
Open event - Presentations by selected participants

Speakers:
Dorcas Stellah Tsitsi Shumba, University of Cape Town, South Africa
"A Just Transition for Africa: Investing in digitalization for resilient energy systems and low carbon economies. Lessons from South Africa"

Shailendra Kumar Mandal, National Institute of Technology Patna, India
"Challenges and Barriers for Implementing Smart Energy Management in improving the Water–Energy Nexus in Smart Cities of India"

Polina Koroleva, UNEP, Kenya
"Digital Transformation at UNEP and Coalition of Digital Environmental Sustainability"

Jilan Plecha, Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg, Germany 
"The Agency of Intermediaries in Sustainable Transitions: Leveraging digitalization for intermediary networks"

Denis Korchunov, UNDP, Jordan
"Women-led Renewable energy Mini-grids to address the digital divide in the Arab Region"

Moderation:
Christian Barthelt, Senior Project Manager, Munich Re Foundation 

Time: 13:00 to 14:30 (CEST) | 06:00 to 07:30 (PET) | 18:00 to 19:30 (ICT)
Open event - Closing event

Speakers:
Umamaheshwaran Rajasekar, Chair, Resilience Unit, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), India
Koko Warner, Manager, Vulnerability subdivision, Adaptation division, UNFCCC
Paul Nduhuura, Project Manager, UNU-EHS
Erick Tambo, Head Pan African Cooperation and Educational Technologies (PACET), UNU-EHS   
Josef Noll, Professor, Department of Technology, University of Oslo, Norway

Moderation and closing remarks:
Himanshu Shekhar, Associate Academic Officer, UNU-EHS
Christian Barthelt, Senior Projectmanager, Munich Re Foundation

Time: 15:30 to 17:00 (CEST) | 08:30 to 10:00 (PET) | 20:30 to 22:00 (ICT)
By invitation only - Interactive workshop and discussion platform

Speakers: 
Koko Warner, Manager, Vulnerability subdivision, Adaptation division, UNFCCC
Christian Barthelt, Senior Projectmanager, Munich Re Foundation
Erick Tambo, Head Pan African Cooperation and Educational Technologies (PACET), UNU-EHS 
Pourya Salehi, Acting Head of Urban Research Team, ICLEI
Josef Noll, Professor, Department of Technology, University of Oslo, Norway

Moderation:
Himanshu Shekhar, Associate Academic Officer, UNU-EHS