Events at COP29

For full and up-to-date details of all of Imperial College London's involvement at events at COP29 refer to this spreadsheet.

Showcasing impacts and youth-led action on mental health and climate change (official UNFCCC side event)

21 November 13.15-14.45, (Azerbaijan time), Blue zone special event room 2 
Organiser: Dr Neil Jennings (Climate Cares, Imperial College London), Gabe Twose (American Psychological Association), Chhavi Bhandari (The George Institute)
Co-chairs: Dr Harshita Umesh, Dr Sandeep Mahraj 
Speakers: Dr Emma Lawrance, Dr Mercian Daniel, Dr Amanda Clinton, Ayomide Olude, Dr Alessandro Massazza, Dr John Balbus 

This panel will highlight the impacts of the climate and ecological crisis on young people and caregivers and showcase key global initiatives to understand and operationalise the critical relevance of mental health and psychological resilience to climate resilience, drawing on multisector dialogues in 90+ countries. These efforts depend on and showcase youth-led and family-centred insights and innovation. 

iLab Finance: The role of the insurance industry in unlocking capital (official UNFCCC side event)

14 November, 15.00-16.30 (Azerbaijan time), Blue zone special event room 2
Organisers: Mike Wilkins (Imperial College London) Craig Pettengell, Insurance Co-Lead, Climate Champions Team

This lab will discuss and explore a plan for delivery of an Enabling Insurance Breakthrough (EIB) to mobilize insurance, industry and finance in order to catalyse a paradigm shift needed to de-risk & help accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Climate Solutions.

All ICL and associated delegates welcome - please email Rachel Jury r.jury@imperial.ac.uk for registration details.

Sustainable Innovation Forum

13 November, 14.30-14:40, 17:05-17:15 (Azerbaijan time), Climate Action Innovation Zone, Baku Marriott Hotel Boulevard
Speakers: Professor Maurizio Zollo, Professor Nilay Shah (presenting remotely) and Livio Scalvini

Can LMICs Afford the Energy Transition? Understanding Financing Burdens and International Support Options

15 November, 13.00-14.30 (Azerbaijan time), Green Zone, Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC) Pavilion
Keynote speaker: Dr Vivien Foster
Speakers: Sam Fankhauser (University of Oxford, UK), CHAIR, Marcela Jaramillo (2050 Pathways Platform, France), Nam Nguyen Hoang (National Economics University of Vietnam), Muchima Mulunda (University of Zambia), Philipp Trotter (Professor of Sustainability Management, University of Wuppertal, Germany)

The event will showcase an emerging analytical tool MinFin, which can be used to measure climate financing gaps at the country level, and to simulate alternative forms of international support through a variety of financial instruments. Contrasting case studies from two African nations – Kenya and Ghana – will serve to illustrate the magnitude of the financial challenges involved and the extent to which they differ across countries.

CCG Transport Day, Accelerating a Just Transition for Decarbonizing Transport in LMICs

18 November, 13.00-18.00 (Azerbaijan time), Grand Hyatt
Presenters: Dr Vivien Foster and Mark Howells

Partnership with Asian Development Bank (ADB), High Volume Transport Programme (HVT) (FCDO), Partnership for Sustainable Low Carbon Transport Program (SLOCAT), the German Technical Cooperation (GIZ) and the World Resources Institute (WRI).

The half day event will share the latest knowledge products (e.g. Data-to-Deal policy brief by ADB and CCG), HVT’s latest research products (Accessing Climate Finance and Transport Decarbonisation Index), presenting global initiatives such as the Hamburg Just Transport Charter on Just Mobility and the Transport Data Commons Initiative (TDCI).

Building Capacity in Energy Modelling and Long-term Energy Investments for Africa’s Climate Action

19 November, 13.30-15.00 (Azerbaijan time), Africa Pavilion, Blue Zone

Lead Partner: UNECA (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa)  
Contributing partner:  Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) Programme 

The event will specifically focus on the role of women in energy modelling, showcasing their contributions within the EMC and beyond. Female alumni of EMP-A have been pivotal in advancing energy planning efforts and driving critical research initiatives. Highlighting their achievements not only reinforces the importance of gender inclusivity in technical fields like energy modelling but also aligns with broader goals of empowering women in leadership roles across Africa’s energy transition. 

Climate change induced mental health problems in the coastal region of Bangladesh

19 November, 14.30-17.00 (Azerbaijan time), Health Pavilion, Blue Zone
Speaker: Dr Emma Lawrance
Organiser: Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), BRAC University

Embedding gender and equity in climate and health action

19 November, 17.00-18.15 (Azerbaijan time), Health Pavilion, Blue Zone
Speaker: Dr Emma Lawrance
Organiser: World Health Organization

Youth in urban crisis: climate, housing, and involvement in city planning

22 November, 10.00-10.45 (Azerbaijan time), Nordic Pavilion, Blue Zone
Speaker: Dr Emma Lawrance
Organiser: Ministry of Climate (Estonia) and Environmental Investment Centre (Estonia)