Agenda
Join us from 8am to enjoy tea and coffee's, and most importantly, be ready to get a front-row seat at our main stage theatre, for what is scheduled to be a packed room!
Keynote address from our Hosts and a special guest to welcome you to the first physical Net Zero Festival
Kick starting our "Net Zero Festival Acts" , we will be featuring Politics at the centre of the playlist.
As host of COP26, the UK Government set itself as one of the leading voices championing a transition to Net Zero by 2050. Almost one year on from COP26, can we strongly argue that our policies are topping the global Net Zero charts?
Our First "Group Act" of the day, and as the King of Rock said, are we ready for "A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action"?
Our first panel of the day will see senior leaders from businesses who are ready to vouch that the time of talking and making pledges is behind us. We are in the Age of Action
"Finance without strategy is just numbers, and strategy without finance is just dreaming" E.Faber
COP26 signalled that “Private Finance has woken up” to the climate crisis. Net Zero and Climate Change are now recognised at the Board Level and by Chief Executives in Financial Institutions. If every company, bank, asset manager, insurer and investor adjusts their business models, develops credible plans for the transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient future and then implements those plans, we are set for an unprecedent time of fast-paced changes to the way we historically think of Finance.
Welcome to the Green Finance Revolution.
"Sport, it has millions of followers. No business has millions of followers in the way that sport does. No government has the attention of millions of followers in the way that sport has. So it's a massive role that sport has to play there" Nico Roseberg
Historically, when you hear the term “motorsport” the last thing on people’s mind would be the term “Net Zero”. This year, we were given access to behind the scenes of the Formula E London E-Prix, where we interviewed and learned all about how the competition is growing and how it has become a major test bed for EV innovation.
"We learn from history that we don't learn from history" - Desmund Tutu
As citizens of the 21st century we have to deal with overturning centuries of polluting our planet, and a high prospect of destroying our chances of a future. It does seem reasonable to be angry at our ancestors for the mess they have left us in. However, history can also be a great tool to understand how we may be able to overcome this obstacle too. After all, they do say that in order to create our future, we must understand our past.
"Our government rests in public opinion. Whoever can change public opinion, can change the government, practically just so much." Abraham Lincoln
Recent extreme weather events have been influencing people to act on climate change. However, there is still a significant awareness-action gap, and when action is taken, it can get demonised as "ecoterrorism" and rejected by the wider public. If we are to get to Net Zero, we must also utilise the power and strength of public support to accelerate the change needed. In order to do this, we must understand what our citizens currently think of the climate crisis, and how we can communicate and harness public support by empowering our citizens.
"Activism is my rent for living on the planet" - Alice Walker
2050 Net Zero targets seem far away to most, but for the younger generations, it is still within the grasp of their working adult future. To them, the targets and actions taken now are a way of creating hope to save their future. With young people becoming the future workforce, how can we guarantee their voices are heard at the centre of strategic opportunities and challenges of building sustainable democracies?
The environmental crisis is a cultural issue. Not just a science problem. So if you think we can achieve net zero solely through technology and regulation, think again. Many companies are making good progress on Scope 1 and 2 emissions. But how are you going to influence the emissions that you don't control and the choices of your customers, citizens and suppliers? It's time for a very short history lesson and a quick provocation about the role of art and culture in a climate crisis.
"I'm worried on greenwashing. I think we should come down on it very, very hard, whether it's with criminal intent or actively deceptive" - John Elkington
Over the past three decades, just five major oil companies have spent at least $3.6bn (£2.5bn) on ads specifically to rebrand themselves as part of the solution to the climate crisis.
Whilst business action on sustainability, especially climate, continues to accelerate, so have carbon emissions. All of the huge commitments, policies and programs of thousands of businesses haven’t flattened the climate curve. To make a solution, you've first got to admit that you're part of the problem. Maybe then we can start disentangling green from greenwashing, before it downfalls over all achievements made during the transition
And a performance from Sebastian Schub
Main Stage
Amongst the loud voices of Net Zero and the cost-of-living crisis, retrofit can sometimes be drowned out by the other noise. Given retrofitting buildings and houses would help people have warmer homes, as well as support meeting our carbon targets, why is this being underplayed? How can we increase funding to tackle this challenge? What can we learn from current delivery success stories to propel a retrofit revolution?
"People are hungry for messages of hope and life. What are you broadcasting?" - Morgan Brittany
If we are to create a Net Zero society, broadcasters inherently have a crucial role to play. In comes COP26, and the birth of the Climate Content Pledge, where key UK broadcasters committed to using their content to help audiences understand what tackling climate change might mean for them, as well as inspire and inform sustainable choices. Join us as we dig into behind the screens, and get the inside scoop on how they are trying to support the transition.
"Eliminate the very concept of waste, not reduce, minimize or avoid waste, but eliminate the very concept by design" - Prof. Michael Braungart
Action on packaging has never been more critical in the fight against plastic waste. With plastic being involved in almost all products we touch on a day to day basis, how do we break the system we are used to and achieve a truly circular model?
"Ad campaigns are necessary for competition. But good PR educates people; that's all it is" - Steve Jobs
If we are to tackle climate change, then the role of great campaigning will be crucial in achieving this. Join our session to hear and see from some of the best campaigns who have truly used the art of marketing to transform and send clear messages.
Workshop Stream 1
Scope 3, or in other words, the heads of sustainability's current puzzle to break through.
In this workshop ran by Schneider Electric, they will be using their own story as well as their expertise to help our senior sustainability audience tackle Scope 3. They will unravel how you can go about engaging and working with your supply chain, in order to start overcoming some of those scope 3 emissions and give you the tools to start scaling up your organisation's Net Zero journey.
Join this workshop led by Schneider Electric's team to find out just how you can accomplish this
Please note workshops have limited availability. They are designed to connect you with your peers, interact, and brainstorm solutions to key challenges you face. Please make sure to register your interest if you wish to take part
The built environment generates nearly 40% of annual global CO2 emissions. With the levels of immigration to cities increasing, getting our buildings green are a crucial piece of the Net Zero journey, despite it being a quiet one sometimes. Increasingly, nature is emerging as a big solution to improving our mental health in a concrete jungle, so how can we seize the opportunity of the green building revolution and create the cities of our green future?
Please note workshops have limited availability. They are designed to connect you with your peers, interact, and brainstorm solutions to key challenges you face. Please make sure to register your interest if you wish to take part
Join this workshop led by UKGBC's team to find out just how you can accomplish this
Workshop Stream 2
“The key to the climate innovation agenda is making it go faster.” With talks that the technologies we need to achieve a net zero do already exist, how can we speed up the funding flow and make it easier for these companies in their journeys to scaling up and help them avoid the valley of death?
Join this workshop sponsored by Clean Growth Fund to find out just how you can accomplish this
Businesses are facing mounting pressure to implement ambitious net-zero strategies and deliver impact that will last. In face of the urgency and disruption we are currently experiencing, heads of sustainability are facing mounting challenges such as tackling scope 3, adapting to an age of disruption and how to avoid falling for superficial solutions. In this workshop led by Forum for the Future, they will provide you with the tools to find catalytic opportunities, a smarter approach to responding to rapid changes, efficiently solving for those interconnected issues and how you can a adopt a more effective, future-fit mindset.
Join this workshop led by Forum for the Future's team to find out just how you can accomplish this
Workshop Stream 3
Join this session as we sit down with David Wright, Group Chief Engineer at National Grid, and discuss how we can innovate our way to Net Zero
Please note workshops have limited availability. They are designed to connect you with your peers, interact, and brainstorm solutions to key challenges you face. Please make sure to register your interest if you wish to take part
The shift to a green economy will create green jobs within new and emerging sectors, while those working in existing sectors will have to gain the requisite green skills to take advantage of business sustainability. Given this, how do we get the public to understand and grow awareness of green jobs? Which internal departments could do with being upskilled and reskilled with green skills? What are some of the main challenges? And most importantly, how can we equip teams within our organisations with green skills?
Join this workshop led by IEMA's team to find out just how you can accomplish this
Please note workshops have limited availability. They are designed to connect you with your peers, interact, and brainstorm solutions to key challenges you face. Please make sure to register your interest if you wish to take part
Main Stage
Who said climate change can only be communicated through a "doom and gloom" lens? Matt will be performing excerpts from his comedy shows, described as storytelling lectures, where he combines comedy and environmental economics in an attempt to encourage us all to help save the planet, as well as, inspire us to think outside the box when it comes to different ways of communicating our message.
3, 2, 1..... Silence please.... and we are LIVE!
To close off the day, we will have the hosts and special guest of the podcast Outrage + Optimism join us on the Net Zero Festival Main Stage.
Outrage + Optimism cover the latest news from science, business, finance politics and culture every Thursday with a can-do attitude. Their energetic hosts Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson, and their brilliant guests share expert opinions along with healthy doses of both outrage and optimism that will leave you feeling informed and energised.
Join us for our drinks reception and a performance from Stone Jets to mark the end of Day 1
