Climate recovery in the wake of COVID-19 and the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) will be top of the agenda at the second World Forum on Climate Justice, to be held at Glasgow Caledonian University in September.
The event, organised by the University’s Centre for Climate Justice, will take place as the planet is still grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic and just two months before global leaders meet in Glasgow during COP26. The Forum’s themes will reflect both of these topics, recognising the need to incorporate climate justice into global climate governance and the post-COVID-19 recovery. The event will be led by a keynote address from former Republic of Ireland President Dr Mary Robinson and other high-profile names are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
GCU held the inaugural World Forum, in partnership with Elsevier, back in 2019. With hundred’s attending and a strong line-up of speakers, including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP, Dr Mary Robinson and Dr Kerry Kennedy, the event made a landmark contribution to the important discussion around the inequality of climate change and its impact.
Professor Tahseen Jafry, who is Conference Chair and Director of the Centre for Climate Justice, said: “On the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, we need to assess whether and how the global climate governance community can reduce the inequities and injustices of climate change across the planet.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all aspects of social life, with significant consequences for climate resilience, vulnerability, adaptation and mitigation at global, national and local levels. What can we learn from the pandemic in the pursuit of climate justice, and how has the pandemic affected the lived experiences of climate change?”
The event will take place between September 21-23 and host around 100 short talks, covering the diverse challenges posed by climate change, from its impact on fair access to food and water to the spread of diseases such as malaria, the growing vulnerability of communities to extreme weather events, and the resulting challenges on migration and population displacement.
The Forum will attract a diverse range of expertise in the emerging field of climate justice to consider the impact climate change is already having on people and their communities across the world.