Africa Outreach Event on IPCC Findings 2021 – Virtual

Event
  • DATE / TIME:
    May 26, 2021    11:00 - May 27, 2021    00:00
    Location:
    Accra

    Accelerating Climate Action through Science and Policy: The Work, Activities and Findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – Significance and Implications for Africa

    Date: 26 – 27 May, 2021

    Time: 11am (GMT) / 2pm (EAT) / 1pm (CAT)

     

    Climate scientists from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and leading African research institutions, will meet virtually, on 26th and 27th May 2021, to discuss climate change in Africa, focusing on the three IPCC special reports: Global Warming of 1.5°C, Climate Change and Land, and Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate.

    Gathering scientists, academics, policymakers and other stakeholder groups across the African continent, the event will examine the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report, focusing on three special reports on Global Warming of 1.5°C, Climate Change and Land, and Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, with a view to raise awareness, especially among policymakers, about the outcomes of the IPCC reports and demonstrate how climate change is already affecting the region, highlight solutions to the challenges of climate change, encourage the participation of the local science and research community in climate research and stimulate regional contribution to future IPCC cycles. The event also aims to foster better understanding among the news media about climate science, solutions to climate change and the IPCC process, and present the IPCC role, activities and main findings to non-governmental organisations, the general public and business sector representatives, students and youth groups.

    Speaking at the last IPCC outreach event in 2019, Dr Fatima Denton, Director of UNU-INRA said: “Africa holds the strongest promise of combatting climate change.” She explained the importance of getting it right the first time, given the continent is still in the process of developing which presents opportunities for sustainable growth.

    Dr Youba Sokona, IPCC Vice-Chair, stressed that: “Limiting global average temperature to 1.5°C requires urgent and far-reaching transformational systems in four key sectors: Energy, Land, Urban Infrastructure, and Industrial systems”.

    This is significant to Africa, which will be among the hardest hit by the effects of climate change under global warming of 1.5°C, notwithstanding that it is already suffering from adverse impacts of climate change given its limited adaptive capacity and its heavy reliance on climate-sensitive sectors. Greater proportions of people will be exposed to climate-induced hardships as agriculture and costal-related economies constitute the mainstay of millions of people across Africa.

    To this end, the outreach events, hosted by the United Nations Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) and the African Academy of Science (AAS), in collaboration with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), will delve into the findings written in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, and examine the impacts and implications of climate change in Africa. These events will take place virtually, on Zoom, with the French webinar taking place on 26th May 2021, and the English webinar on 27th May 2021. Both webinars will start at 11 AM (GMT) / 2 PM (EAT), and the speakers include Dr Fatima Denton (UNU-INRA, Director), Mr Abdalah Mokssit (IPCC, Secretary), Dr Hoesung Lee (IPCC, Chair), Dr Youba Sokona (IPCC, Vice-Chair), Dr Debra Roberts (IPCC), and Valerie Masson-Delmotte (IPCC).

    Register for the event through the links below:

    May 26, 2021 – French Session : https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TPo5_Kd6RLGej9RuiKIjbg

    May 27, 2021 – English Session : https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_y-F7vmK-RYm2TrSWZ_QfwQ

    For more information, please contact Qondi Moyo at moyo@unu.edu