Programme

Representing 92% of global GDP, over 90 countries around the world have now announced net zero targets. There are no single or simple solutions to putting the world on a path which limits temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrialised levels, a crucial target to avoiding a climate catastrophe. However, a sustainable, secure and more equitable future energy system with netzero emissions will be essential and this future energy system must be based on continuous innovation, not only of technologies but also innovation of business models, financing, policy and regulatory approaches.
According to BloombergNEF New Energy Outlook 2023, the world needs to spend a total of $8.3 trillion on renewable energy deployment from 2023 - 2030 to align with a global net-zero trajectory by 2050. This unprecedented growth in renewables deployment requires innovative approaches to partnerships, business models and policies.We have most of the technologies needed to meet our short and medium term energy targets, but deployment of these technologies at speed and scale calls for new types of clean energy policies
and regulations based on coordinated and forward looking approaches. It also requires new business models based on broader societal, environmental, economic and energy system value, as
well as new innovative approaches to financing. All of this will be facilitated by the next generation of ambitious multi-stakeholder collaborations.
During this session, panelists will discuss how to evolve the focus on innovation beyond technology and towards business models, policies and regulations and financing, to accelerate the deployment of renewables and reduce emissions. They will also explore how to build new partnerships to accelerate these new types of innovations.

The transition away from fossil fuels is an imperative to limit global warming close to 1.5°C. Given the pressing need to phase out fossil fuels, companies have a crucial role to rapidly phase out fossil fuels from their value chains, to put positive pressure on governments, and send a clear signal that we have entered “the beginning of the end” of the fossil era. This session, complementing the Fossil to Clean campaign and the Fossil Fuel Non-proliferation Treaty, will showcase examples of companies that have committed to map fossil fuels in their value chains and are taking concrete steps to eliminate these emissions. By sharing their experiences and best practices, these companies demonstrate that this transition is not only achievable but is also desirable from a competitive viewpoint. 

Viable Cities and the European Commission’s representation in Sweden in partnership with Sweden’s pavilion at COP28 are pleased to invite you to the sixth European Viable Cities Day on December 8, 2023 – a bridge between the Swedish and European efforts towards the mission of climate neutral and sustainable cities by 2030. With seven years to go to reach the mission of climate neutral cities, action is needed now. Radical implementation is of the essence. The movement to accelerate the climate transition and pave the way for many others is growing and gaining momentum. At European Viable Cities Day, 23 Swedish cities representing 40% of the Swedish population, six government agencies and high level representatives from business and academia gathers to make this happen. This year, Stockholm and Madrid have received the official EU Mission Label as the first two European capitals. During the event, there will be a special ceremony to highlight this achievement, as well as the signing ceremony of the Swedish Climate City Contracts. Viable Cities is a Swedish national innovation platform and Sweden's biggest initiative for Climate Neutral Cities, jointly funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and Formas. 

New York – 19th of September, the launch of the www.10billionchallenge.org was doneHow to supply food to 10 billion people living om the planet is the theme and here we will invite innovators, entrepreneurs, enterprises to be part in solving the quest.

Technology and innovation are key accelerators towards reshaping the food ecosystem. To build future-fit food systems, capable of meeting the challenges of a growing global population, they are not merely desirable but imperative.

In the battle against climate change, the imperative to remove carbon from the atmosphere has never been more urgent and the capital markets will play an important role in accelerating the deployment of carbon removal technologies and initiatives across the globe to ensure we have sufficient capacity by 2050. By participating in this panel discussion, you will gain valuable insights into how capital markets can become powerful catalysts for financing the scale-up of carbon removals. We will also discuss the carbon market’s actions to accelerate up-scaling of the carbon removal market, with a focus on financing decarbonization and responsible leadership across the ecosystem.  Together, we can help combat climate change and protect our planet for future generations. 

Financing the transformation of road freight will show how the sector is booming with opportunities and the world shifts to new transportation systems. With technology at the forefront, it is possible to tackle a 4 trillion dollar market and impact 8% of global CO2 emissions.

There exists a gap between intent and action for a green and just transition in agriculture and food production. For a sustainable and resilient food production system, technological innovations and financial mechanisms must be made accessible to the last-mile; that is the small-hold farmer.

A seminar at the forefront of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). The EU and many private sector companies will rely on permanent carbon removals to meet their net-zero targets. Given the growing importance of these permanent removals, several key initiatives are moving forward within the EU, including the establishment of a framework for carbon credits and the development of a strategy for industrial carbon management. The seminar will shed light on the increasing demand for carbon removal credits, discuss how permanent removals can support the achievement of net-zero targets, increase your knowledge of BECCS and place the technology in a larger European context.  

Global supply chains are one of the best use cases for large-scale electrification today. Companies share their experiences with innovative and efficient transport solutions and their potential to transform a sector facing low margins.

The Food- Water -Energy NEXUS with a focus on the Aquaculture Todays linear system causes challenges in the fjords where the Oslo bay already is dead and now we see accelerating challenges in other Norwegian fjords.

The seminar will focus on today’s nitrogen challenge and how new solutions, such as EasyMining’s Aqua2N technology can increase biogas production by removing ammonia in high concentrations, and at the same time eliminate the emissions of laughing gas. But it will also touch upon how to store CO2 in materials as well in boreholes.  By sourcing biogenic CO2 from biogas production, Ragn-Sells’ OSA project has developed a solution to produce a carbon-negative product that stores the CO2 in the material and Stockholm Exergi has its leading BECCS project. Cicular solutions will reduce the risk that we overshoot the planetary boundaries.

Today 14% of the global CO2 emissions comes from transports. At the same time transports are necessary for our society to function. Driving the shift towards a sustainable transport system demands a transformation that is as radical as when we left the horse and carriage to start using the combustion engine. This seminar will discuss how different parts of the transport value chain can and must contribute to be successful in sustainable transports.

The Breakthrough Agenda report 2023 concludes that even if the transition to clean energy and sustainable solutions is accelerating, global emissions are still increasing and there is a need now to deploy near zero emission technologies at scale. For steel this means that we need 70 near zero emission steel plants by 2030. What is needed to get projects off the ground and how can value-chain collaboration and policy measures support this needed acceleration? 

Sweden has over recent years become the epicenter of impact tech, i.e. companies who based on forefront technology and science build solutions that benefit people and the planet by directly addressing global development goals. During this session, several impact tech companies together with leading representatives from Sweden’s impact tech ecosystem and beyond come together to discuss the role of impact tech to accelerate the global momentum toward a sustainable future. 

The ambition of the Inauguration of the Swedish Pavilion is to mirror the vision and the key messages for our COP28 engagement. Hence, the inauguration aims to: - Illustrate the good examples of cross-border and cross-sector collaboration, public-private partnerships. - Showcase best practice examples in the areas of policy, finance, and innovations needed to mitigate the climate crises and to achieve the Paris Agreement. - Make sure our vision and objectives are aligned with the official negotiation agenda of COP28 and that conversations around adaptation, mitigation, finance, and loss and damage, are at the forefront of all our discussions. - Ensure a diverse representation in terms of gender, age, and nationality from the government of Sweden of and other UN member states, private sector, public sector, Academia, NGO, and youth. This transformation is a historic chance to build a better world. Together, let’s pioneer the possible.

Bhupender Yadav, Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and Labour & Employment, India, and Romina Pourmokhtari, Minister for Climate and the Environment, Sweden, are hosting this official side that will inform about the objectives of the next phase of the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (2024-2026), LeadIT 2.0.  

As countries strive to achieve ambitious energy and climate goals, particularly through the integration of large volumes of renewables, grid interconnections become increasingly important. Today, interconnections linking different power systems within and between countries and regions allow electricity to flow according to patterns of supply and demand, while simultaneously enhancing system reliability, security, and resilience. In fact, increasing interconnection capacity is now becoming crucial as we focus on maximising the penetration of variable renewables globally. Europe has set the benchmark when it comes to interconnectors, being the world’s largest interconnected grid with more than 400 interconnectors and, according to ENTSO-E, 40 more planned by 2030. However, other regions are also progressing. The SIEPAC (Central American Electrical Interconnection System) project links the power grids of six Central American nations since 2013. Meanwhile, ASEAN countries created the ASEAN Power Grid programme in 1997 and the ASEAN Interconnection Masterplan Study has identified numerous benefits from increased interconnectivity.During this discussion, panelists will share lessons learned and experiences from developing major interconnection projects to accelerate the integration of renewables across geographies.

As the world grapples with the urgent and complex issue of climate change, the role of sustainable leadership has never been more critical. This panel discussion will bring together thought leaders, experts, and practitioners in the field of sustainability to explore the intersection of leadership and rapid climate action.  

It has been 8 years since Paris, with 7 years to go to 2030. In the urgent race to combat climate change and achieve global sustainability goals, the intersection of capital markets and corporate sustainability has never been more critical or important.  Join us for a thought-provoking panel discussion where industry experts and leaders will explore how capital markets can play a pivotal role in supporting corporates and provide the necessary financial resources to accelerate corporate efforts toward achieving net-zero emissions on their journey to a net-zero future.