Climate and Biodiversity Week at Expo Dubai 2020: galvanising the world into action to protect our planet

Mobilising the world for the health of our planet, Climate and Biodiversity Week will take place from 3-9 October 2021 at the Dubai World Expo 2020, just one month before the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.

The first Expo theme week, in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) and DP World, Expo 2020's global business partner, aims to generate new ideas, inspire different perspectives and build a clear roadmap towards immediate action.

Recognising that the world is at a crucial moment when the global community must take decisive and collective action to protect the planet, Expo 2020 will provide a powerful platform for people's voices to be heard in policy circles. Events and discussions during Climate and Biodiversity Week will focus on climate change mitigation, disaster risk management, advancing the circular economy, protecting vulnerable regions and conservation.

Keynote speakers include internationally recognised leader on global climate change Christiana Figueres, UN Energy co-chair Damilola Ogunbiyi, filmmaker and climber Jake Norton, and Eden Project founder Sir Tim Smit, as well as environment ministers from around the world.

Nadia Verjee, chief of staff and head of the People and Planet Programme at Expo 2020 Dubai, spoke of the importance of the climate fight: "Now, more than at any other time in human history, it is essential that we give our full attention to protecting our planet for future generations. For us to succeed, these crucial issues must be addressed by initiating a two-way conversation: bringing together people-centred, bottom-up, grassroots approaches with high-level policy and partnership initiatives".

"We are confident that by bringing together people, policy makers, NGOs and business leaders from 192 countries for Climate and Biodiversity Week, we can inspire the world to take positive steps towards a more sustainable future. We have the opportunity to take our place in history as the generation that stopped climate change".

Co-organised with MOCCAE, DP World and the UK, Climate and Biodiversity Week's flagship event, The People's Promise for Climate Impact, takes place from 3 to 4 October. It aims to catalyse youth-led action around the world, inspiring and empowering people to play an active role in the fight against climate change.

Aisha al-Abdooli, acting deputy assistant undersecretary for green development and climate change at MOCCAE, said of the initiative: "As the world witnesses more frequent and intense extreme weather events, putting billions of people at immediate risk, combating climate change has become a moral obligation. This has been highlighted in a recent report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is nothing short of a code red for humanity. The report warns that continued global warming and rising sea levels are causing an increasing number of natural disasters and emphasises that there is an urgent need to address this threat".

"The UAE is fully committed to tackling climate change, and we are proud to partner with the Expo to amplify the momentum at Climate and Biodiversity Week. The event will offer a wealth of opportunities for collaboration in advancing swift and bold action to address this challenge ahead of COP26," she added.

Mohammad al-Hashimy, the group's deputy general counsel and company secretary of DP World, also highlighted the proposal: "Preserving our planet and building a sustainable future for all is something that can only be done collectively, not individually. That is why the upcoming Climate and Biodiversity Week is so important. It will bring together leaders from multiple sectors around the world to find and create solutions."

"DP World has always been committed to protecting our planet, from combating illegal wildlife trafficking to preserving biodiversity. We are proud to partner with Expo 2020 Dubai to help facilitate its key message of 'Connecting Minds, Creating the Future' and help foster the dialogue and cooperation needed to heal our planet," he added.

Expo 2020's World Majlis series, which brings together voices from around the world to imagine a brighter future for our planet, will host four sessions during Climate and Biodiversity Week. Each will explore different facets of the question: if we have so much power to alter the planet, can we instead put our knowledge, skills and efforts to work in the service of the Earth for future generations?

The Expo 2020 Dubai Climate and Biodiversity Business Forum on 4 October, co-organised with the Dubai Chamber and Estonia, will highlight business opportunities and cutting-edge technologies while showcasing the progress in sustainability achieved by the UAE and the Expo's participating countries and partners.

The Women's Pavilion on 4 October will host an inspiring session on Women Leading the Fight to Save Our Planet, which will focus on the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and how women can play a greater role in climate-related decision-making.

Advancing Best Practice for Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation (6 October), co-organised with DP World, Mozambique and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), will highlight effective, replicable and scalable interventions and solutions to protect global biodiversity.

All Expo visitors can explore the issues further with two climate and biodiversity-related tours available on the Expo 2020 app. The People for Planet tour introduces visitors to the different ways in which countries and organisations are responding to the key environmental issues we face as a global community, while the Waste Warriors tour explores the innovations leading the movement against overconsumption and overproduction.

Climate and Biodiversity Week is the first of 10 Thematic Weeks that anchor the People and Planet Programme, an extraordinary calendar of events, experiences, thought leadership and public conversations taking place during the six months of Expo 2020, aimed at finding solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing our world.

Designed with and for the global community, the programme will harness the connecting power of World Expos to accelerate a legacy of transformative change.

Participants will investigate solutions to critical global challenges, ranging from mitigating climate change and biodiversity loss and making human habitats more sustainable, to bridging the digital divide and ensuring equitable access to education and healthcare.

Text, photos and videos: Dubai Expo 2020.