IIED at London Climate Action Week 2024

Conference

Throughout London Climate Action Week 2024, IIED and partners will host and participate in a range of key events. This page provides more details.

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In person, online and hybrid
Last updated 27 June 2024
Traffic sign half submerged under water

Traffic sign half submerged under water (Photo by Kelly Sikkema, via Unsplash)

London Climate Action Week 2024

London Climate Action Week (LCAW) is an annual event that brings together world-leading climate professionals, organisations and communities from across London and the globe, as it hosts a diverse range of events to find practical solutions to climate change. This year’s event takes place from 22-30 June 2024.

Throughout the week IIED and partners will participate in a range of online, in-person and hybrid events under the themes of financing global climate transitions and mobilising whole-of-society climate action.

Events


Friday, 28 June

The Missing Trillions

In-person event

Time: 4-6pm (BST)
Venue: Kyu House at IDEO Office, 8 Back Hill, London EC1R 5EN, UK
Hosted by: IIED, Metabolic, Reos Partners, Climate-KIC, Futerra, and Atölye

At this collaborative event, IIED executive director Tom Mitchell and IIED senior researcher Mohsen Gul will join a panel of experts to share the process of identifying opportunities and translating them into a prospectus format to help mobilise capital. The event will also provide an opportunity to share three example outputs around the topics of 'capital formation', 'project pipeline', and 'transition governance'.

This event is an open call to gather collective insights to refine the approach of opportunity identification for mobilising capital to close the finance gap of the 'missing trillions'.

Previous events


Monday, 24 June

The decarbonisation debate: exploring climate action for equitable cities

Online event

Hosted by: IIED
Speakers included: Sonia Dias, Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing; Michael Roll, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS); Nura Ali, University College London; Jorgelina Hardoy, IIED – América Latina; Anna Walnycki and Tucker Landesman, both IIED.

In the efforts to link climate action and social justice in cities, little attention has been paid to how cities could accelerate decarbonisation. Even less attention has been paid to how such decarbonisation processes might be accelerated to advance social justice, reduce poverty and respond to basic needs.

This event explored opportunities for climate change mitigation policies and practices to respond to poverty and support social justice in cities and the agendas of urban social movements. Drawing on examples shared in the new issue of the 'Environment and Urbanization' journal, the disvcussion will include what makes low-income and informal communities legitimate sites for decarbonisation, and how low-carbon infrastructural initiatives align with adaptation priorities.

Related reading: Connecting decarbonization and social justice in cities | Frontrunner cities: connecting climate action and social justice

Adaptation drinks

In-person

Hosted by: IIED

Adaptation Drinks used to be a feature of the London social scene but has not happened for a couple of years. IIED revived and hosted it in 2024 – and also looking to make it more of a fixture of London Climate Action Week in the future.

The goal of Adaptation Drinks is to create an opportunity for you to connect and network with other likeminded members of the climate adaptation community in an informal and relaxed setting, to share thoughts and insights, and forge new collaborations.

Related reading: Principles for locally led adaptation


Tuesday, 25 June

Hidden handbrakes: an Open Space conversation

Online event

Hosted by: IIED

Action to halt or reduce further climate change is being blocked by a range of ‘hidden handbrakes’ that the public are broadly unaware of. These range from legal obstacles to subsidies for fossil fuel companies and the architecture of the global financial system.

IIED's hidden handbrakes campaign was launched at London Climate Action Week in 2023. In the last year we have gathered some good examples and research about the blockers to climate action and social justice. 

IIED executive director Tom Mitchell joined a panel of experts to explore particular hidden handbrakes and discuss ways to release them in an Open Space format.

Related reading: Hidden handbrakes preventing climate action | Hidden handbrakes: overview and key research


Wednesday, 26 June

Aligning investment with climate action: a conversation

Online event

Hosted by: IIED, Columbia Centre on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), ALIGN

As the window for action on climate change closes, how can governments take rapid action to ensure land-based investments contribute to building resilience and adaptive capacities, rather than worsen devastating climate change impacts? How can this be paired with curbing investment incentives for emissions-heavy activity, promoting instead zero-carbon investments in the interest of all?

In this conversation, experts discussed the ways in which governments are seeking to prioritise, incentivise and coordinate action for climate-aligned investment across sectors, through more coherent laws and policies.

Related reading: Can the net-zero transition offer a new dawn for Africa’s industrialisation?


Thursday, 27 June

Building climate resilience for India’s cotton farmers: insurance's role?

Online event

Hosted by: IIED, Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI)

In India, smallholder cotton farmers are particularly vulnerable to the climate crisis, putting millions of livelihoods at stake. Crop insurance, which is currently not widely used, is a mechanism that could help manage the risks of an uncertain future, but many questions remain about its affordability and effectiveness in its current form.

This event discussed a recent study that explored cotton farmers’ vulnerabilities, perceptions and responses to climate and other shocks, as well as current and potential use of insurance.

Climate Innovation Forum: Financing adaptation to accelerating climate change impacts

Roundtable

Speakers include: IIED director Tom Mitchell (host) 

Around the world, businesses and communities are facing more extreme weather events and slower onset climate impacts such as sea level rise or water salinisation. We are seeing withdrawal of insurance, supply chain disruption and extreme heat prohibiting people from working. 

Adapting to these impacts and being proactive in protecting people and value is now a priority for all. This roundtable looked at how this adaptation can be financed, the main sources of funding and the innovative options. It also considers adaptation as an investment opportunity in the rapidly growing market for resilience-building goods and services.   

Climate Innovation Forum: Mission 1.5°C – We can and we must!

Closing session

Speakers include: IIED director Tom Mitchell (moderator); Baroness Scotland, Commonwealth secretary-general; Mauro O'd Almeida, environment secretary for the State of Para

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