London Climate Action Week Get Net Zero Right

This event will open the week with a climate ’town hall meeting’, holding a frank conversation with leading civil society voices and key net zero initiatives on the need to get net zero right rather than get rid of it.

It is being convened by the UN High Level Climate Champions for COP25 and COP26 who lead the largest global alliance of net zero commitments by non-state actors – rallying companies, cities, regions, financial, educational and healthcare institutions to take rigorous and immediate action to halve global emissions by 2030 and deliver a healthier, fairer zero carbon world in time.

Recognising the urgency of climate action and the increasing scrutiny of climate commitments by non-state actors, this event will reflect on the history of net zero, debate the current credibility challenges with non-state climate action, and explore the future of net zero efforts ahead of COP26 and beyond.

The event will be moderated by environmental correspondent Fiona Harvey, who will be joined by leading climate experts including:

History of net zero and the long-term goal

• Farhana Yamin, Lawyer, Author, Activist, Expert Adviser to Climate Vulnerable Forum

Current debate around net zero

• James Dyke, Assistant Director, Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter and co-author of Net zero is a dangerous trap
• Richard Black, Honorary Research Fellow, Imperial College London and co-author of Net zero: despite the greenwash, it’s vital for tackling climate change

The future of net zero

• Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director, Greenpeace International
• Professor Tom Hale, Associate Professor in Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford and chair of UN Race to Zero independent Expert Peer Review Group
• Tzeporah Berman, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Studies at York University, International Program Director at Stand.Earth, and Chair of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative
• Nigel Topping, UN High Level Climate Champion for UK, COP26
• Gonzalo Munoz, UN High Level Climate Champion for Chile, COP25

The event will close with an audience Q&A.

In addition to this event, the UN High Level Climate Champions have opened a Public Consultation on the Future of Race to Zero.

This process, driven by the High-Level Champions on Climate Action and all the Race to Zero Partners, will explore how to drive cooperation and coordination within the climate action ecosystem to leverage different non-State actors’ capacities and expertise with a view to ensure the implementation of robust climate action based on credible net-zero targets.

The public consultation is open for 10 weeks for written-submissions on specific questions to be outlined during this consultation, and will close on 3 September. The written submission form will be made publicly available directly after the briefing. Please click here to find out more.Access Event Page