2018•11•27     Bonn

At the UN Climate Change Conference this year the nations of the world will meet to unleash the full potential of the Paris Agreement by finalizing the Paris Agreement Work Programme. At this year’s COP, held in Katowice, Poland, our institute will be sending a delegation of experts to contribute to the discussions.

From climate change and migration, climate risk insurance and disaster risk management, our delegation’s expertise cuts across many of COP24’s most urgent themes.

Read about their plans for COP, the events they will be taking part in, and how to reach them for an interview, in the paragraphs below.

Prof Dirk Messner – Director of UNU-EHS

Prof Messner is the Director of UNU-EHS.

As the head of the United Nations University delegation, Prof Messner will talk about climate change migration and international justice, transformation towards the decarbonization of the global economy and the importance of global governance.

“We need clear statements at COP 24. To stay within the 2 degrees global warming corridor, countries must half their emissions every decade. Decarbonization efforts and ambitions must now be doubled in order to avoid deep climate crisis. Renewable Energies are a success story. Now we need rapid action to decarbonize our mobility systems.

Climate protection and investments in social cohesion must be integrated. We need just- and in-time Decarbonization strategies.”

If you would like to interview Prof Messner during COP, please email: kandel@ehs.unu.edu.

Dr Robert Oakes – environmental migration specialist

At COP, Robert will focus on the impact of environment policy on the achievements of the SDGs, and as a member of the task force on displacement he will speak about migration with dignity.

His hope for COP24 is the recommendations of the Task Force on Displacement are translated into concrete actions to protect peoples affected by climate change.

If you would like to interview Robert during COP, pleased email: kandel@ehs.unu.edu.

Soenke Kreft – climate risk insurance expert

Soenke is the Executive Officer of the Munich Climate Insurance Initiative (MCII). MCII is a non-profit think tank that seeks to advance climate resilience through insurance instruments.

At COP 24, Soenke will present on MCII’s approaches to climate risk management. He will bring a climate risk insurance perspective to a collaboration with the finance ministers of the “Vulnerable 20”, a group of 20 countries around the globe that are considered to be most vulnerable to climate change and that represent close to 700 million people. Soenke has also co-chaired a working group to develop “pro-poor” governance principles to steer climate and disaster risk finance and he is keen to see these principles make a difference for programmes and impact research.

Soenke’s hope for COP24 is that it will bring a well-balanced, substantial package of decisions that guide climate policy in the years to come.

If you would like to interview Soenke during COP, please email: hwang@ehs.unu.edu.

Dr Maxime Souvignet – disaster risk reduction expert

Maxime seeks to develop integrated solutions for climate risk management that enable people and their governments to better deal with the consequences of #climatechange. The goal is to support low-income countries and emerging economies in finding ways to implement climate risk insurance solutions as part of a climate risk management approach.

MCII not only develops new tools, but also tests them in the field in different countries. At #COP24 Maxime wants his work to inform the policy discussion and link practical expertise more efficiently to the needs of policymakers.

If you would like to interview Maxime during COP, please email: hwang@ehs.unu.edu

 

 

Viktoria Seifert – climate policy expert

Viktoria’s work centers around the intersection of policy and climate risk insurance. She works closely with the Vulnerable Twenty Group and seeks to drive forward the uptake of climate and disaster risk financing instruments in those countries that are most vulnerable. She hopes that #COP24 will reaffirm the urgency and necessity for reliable and predictable loss and damage finance.

If you would like to interview Viktoria during COP, pleased email: hwang@ehs.unu.edu.
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Jennifer Phillips – disaster risk management specialist

On several Caribbean Islands, MCII is currently involved in a project that seeks to addresses climate change adaptation and vulnerability by promoting climate risk insurance as an instrument to manage and transfer risk. The focus is on providing quick payouts to policy holders after an event hits to ensure that those affected can immediately begin to rebuild their lives.

Jennifer’s hope for #COP24 is that it will move forward both the COP agenda and the many outside initiatives that the summit has brought together.

If you would like to interview Jennifer during COP, pleased email: hwang@ehs.unu.edu.

Raúl Fernández – disaster risk management specialist

On several Caribbean Islands, MCII is currently involved in a project that seeks to addresses climate change adaptation and vulnerability by promoting climate risk insurance as an instrument to manage and transfer risk. The focus is on providing quick payouts to policy holders after an event hits to ensure that those affected can immediately begin to rebuild their lives.

Jennifer’s hope for #COP24 is that it will move forward both the COP agenda and the many outside initiatives that the summit has brought together.

If you would like to interview Jennifer during COP, pleased email: hwang@ehs.unu.edu.