Participated in APCW 2023 in Johor Bahru, focusing on grassroots urban and transport solutions, electrification, and renewable energy. Highlighted AI’s potential in planning, and discussed the Global Goal on Adaptation’s impact on local budgets at COP28. The event wrapped up the Climate Weeks, leading up to COP28 negotiations on the Global Stocktake outcomes.
This week, I participated in the Asia-Pacific Climate Week #APCW2023 held at Persada Johor Bahru #JB 🇲🇾, marking my second visit to this vibrant city.
While numerous sessions covered overarching topics like financing, carbon markets, and monitoring, often approached from a top-down perspective, my focus was on “track 2” discussions pertaining to cities, urban and rural settlements, infrastructure, and transport — emphasising a more bottom-up and territorial approach. Despite the limited number of these sessions, I joined two of them on decarbonising the transportation sector, spotlighting #electrification and #renewable energy but also the necessity of modal shift #mobility policies. Additionally, I attended a compelling session on the practical application of AI solutions, aligning with UNESCO recommendations.
An intriguing highlight was an invitation from Dennis Mombauer 🇩🇪, based in #SriLanka 🇱🇰, for the global #thinktank SLYCAN Trust. The debate dinner delved into the new Global Goal on #adaptation (#GGA), envisioned to concretely complement the challenging #mitigation policies. This could potentially translate into future budgets for cities, regions, and local communities in the context of #COP28… 🍀
————————————
According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (#UNFCCC), this regional event marks the conclusion of the four regional Climate Weeks involving the #Globalsouth—preceded by Africa, the Middle East & North Africa, and Latin America & the Caribbean—just ahead of the upcoming #COP28 hosted by #Dubai.
#APCW2023 signifies the end of the first-ever Global Stocktake released last October, revealing that the world is off-course in achieving the goals set in Paris in 2015. At #COP28, UN member states will negotiate their responses to the stocktake’s findings.
For more information: [UNESCAP]
