OPENING SESSION
2021 has been marked as the make-or-break year for climate, but if you’re reading this, it’s not too late to save the planet. It’s the year to restore our balance with nature, tackle the climate emergency, protect food systems, and get ahead of the pollution crisis – all while ensuring no one is left behind. With all eyes on COP26 and COP15 on Biodiversity, as well as COVID-19 recovery plans being designed, this year is a test for global and green leadership. Heartfelt speeches won’t fulfill the $100B annual climate financing promise or make energy transitions real. Will we finally see concrete plans that turn rhetoric into reality?
The opening panel will lean on the expertise of global leaders and activists to give a diagnosis of the planet’s health and prescribe what needs to be done to urgently address this deep ecological crisis. UN leadership, youth activists, scientists, poets, alike, are joining together in this opening session with a clear and cogent message: the time to act is now.