***Update 12 March: In light of the spread of the Coronavirus disease and the rapidly evolving situation, this event has been postponed.***
Join Sweden's Ministry of Environment, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Stockholm Sustainable Finance Centre (SSFC) for a high level event on
31 March, 08:30 - 12:00, in Stockholm
to explore how climate action can be accelerated, whilst reducing inequalities and improving well-being.
The discussion will bring together representatives from national government, regional and local authorities, as well as business and civil society to discuss how insights from the OECD reports on Accelerating Climate Action through a Well-being Lens and Financing Climate Futures: Rethinking Infrastructure can inform policy-making in Sweden.
Draft Agenda
08:30 Arrival and welcome
09:00 Introduction and opening remarks:
- Eva Svedling, State Secretary, Ministry of Environment
- Åsa Persson, Deputy Director, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
09:15 Well-being and financing climate futures – lessons from two OECD reports, Presentation by Anthony Cox, Deputy Director, OECD Environment Directorate
09:30 Financing Climate Futures: The Swedish picture
Panel discussion including audience participation moderated by Aaron Maltais, Program Director, SSFC and featuring
- Eva Svedling, State Secretary, Ministry of Environment
- Max Elger, State Secretary, Ministry of Finance
- Björn Bergstrand, Head of Sustainability, Kommuninvest
- Alexander Hartman, Chief Financial Officer, Northvolt AB
- Michael Kjeller, Head of Asset Management and Sustainability, Folksam Group
- Anthony Cox, Deputy Director, OECD Environment Directorate
10:15 Coffee break
10:30 Synergies and trade-offs between climate action and well-being: Looking at transport
Presentation by Gregor Vulturius, Research Fellow, SEI, and Head of Operations, SSFC
10: 45 Panel discussion including audience participation moderated by Åsa Persson, Deputy Director, SEI and featuring
- Sven Hunhammar, Director of Sustainability and Environment, Swedish Transport Administration and Inquiry Chair, Inquiry on phasing out fossil fuels and prohibiting sales of new petrol- and diesel-driven cars
- Anna Gemzell, Development Strategist, Community of Umeå
- other participants tbc
11:30 Question and Answer session
11:45 Closing remarks
Background to the event
The climate crisis continues to intensify with 2019 being registered as the warmest year on record, ending the hottest decade yet. Scientists have said that the recent catastrophic bushfires in Australia are just a taste of what the world will experience as temperatures rise.
While the imperative for climate action is becoming ever clearer, so too is the need to address the social equity dimension of climate change and the need for a just transition. Some OECD countries - from Chile to France to Norway - have seen protests over public transport fares, fuel prices or road tolls, highlighting that climate action needs to alleviate inequalities rather than exacerbating them.
The recent OECD report Accelerating Climate Action Through a Well-being Lens applies a new perspective that analyses synergies and trade-offs between climate change mitigation and broader goals such as health, education, jobs as well as wider environmental quality. Another recent OECD report, Financing Climate Futures: Rethinking Infrastructure outlines how governments can fundamentally transform their economies to align with global climate and development goals.
Together, the Ministry of Environment, OECD and SSFC, will share key findings and explore ways to create more sustainable and equitable policy around climate action.
