Dublin to host pre-COP26 global climate summit - conference will forge declaration ahead of COP26

The Dublin Climate Dialogues (May 19-20th) will bring together senior representatives from the US, China, Europe, UK and the UN. Over two days this virtual conference will forge a Declaration on how to raise global ambition at COP26 with specific recommendations to accelerate the transition to #netzero. The Declaration will be handed to the COP Presidency at the conclusion of the conference.

The Conference will be chaired by Pat Cox, the former President of the European Parliament. Over the two days he will be joined by Lord Deben, Chairman of the UK Committee on Climate Change, Mary Robinson, Adjunct Professor for Climate Justice in Trinity College Dublin and Chair of the Elders, Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency and Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy. 

Speaking at the launch of the Dialogues, Pat Cox underlined the gravity of the climate emergency facing the world, and the compelling need for action at this year’s COP.

We have a climate emergency in search of urgency as regards the scale, substance and speed of the response needed to contain its most damaging potential, by accelerating actions to limit global temperature rises to those agreed in the Paris Accord of 2015.  Urgency and acceleration are the key themes of the conference.  

The event will draw attention to the need to move beyond ambition among the world’s largest polluters and to enact meaningful and binding commitments to halve emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and to hit net-zero emissions by mid-century. It will also explore what those commitments might look like, including the creation of a carbon club of Nations, carbon border taxation, and the effective mobilisation of the very large amounts of capital needed to accelerate the transition to clean energy.

Also taking part in a series of conversations and presentations will be Paschal Donohoe, the Irish Finance Minister and President of the Eurogroup, Simon Coveney, the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Eamon Ryan, Ireland’s Minister for Transport and Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Enrico Letta, former PM of Italy, Sonya Twohig, Secretary General, ENTSO-E, Henrik Stiesdal, world leading wind turbine designer, and Mike Hayes, Global Lead Renewables and Decarbonisation, KPMG.

Highlighting the potential of the conference to influence COP26 Mike Hayes said.

KPMG believes Dublin Climate Dialogues is a highly significant event in the drumbeat to COP26. It brings together key players on the policy, capital and technology agendas to deliver critical messages and specific actions to the COP26 Presidency.

The Irish government is engaging with the event with Ministerial participation and support from the Department of Foreign Affairs. Hosting the event in Dublin gives an opportunity both to spotlight Ireland’s climate ambitions, and to take advantage of the country’s reputation as an open country.

Adding his support to the conference, energy entrepreneur and Chairman of Mainstream Renewable Power, Eddie O’Connor said "this event is about building real international action ahead of COP. We have selected Ireland so that policy options can be discussed in an atmosphere free from geo-political tensions and whose only purpose is toexplore how this generation can leave a planet fit for habitation by forthcoming generations".

The first day of the Conference will open with a call to climate action, and will focus on the economic, financial and policy options available to accelerate the transition to #netzero. These include carbon pricing, international trade agreements, the mobilisation of capital to fund the transition and the impact of the risks of stranded assets.

The second day, to be introduced by Sir Jim MacDonald, the President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, will outline the technologies needed to bring about the transition, show how global energy systems should be recast to deliver #net-zero and discuss the opportunities of deploying renewable technologies at scale. 

The conference will conclude with the Declaration of the Dublin Climate Dialogues being delivered to Alok Sharma, UK President of COP26.

The Dublin Climate Dialogues is free to attend but places are limited. Register today.