Climate and Biodiversity Week, which runs from 3-9 October, is the first of the ten Theme Weeks anchoring the Programme for People and Planet, a schedule of events, experiences, thought-leadership and public conversations running throughout Expo 2020’s six months.

The week-long event – in association with the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) and DP World, Global Trade Partner of Expo 2020 – aims to raise global awareness about climate action and environmental protection, and to build a clear roadmap towards a more sustainable future.

Featuring conferences, Q&A sessions and panel discussions, Expo’s Climate and Biodiversity Week will focus on five key issues: mitigating climate change, disaster risk management, advancing the circular economy, protecting vulnerable regions and conservation.

The first theme week will also launch the World Majlis series – Expo 2020’s signature platform for Connecting Minds, designed to spark conversation and engage visitors with issues that impact us all as a global family.

Notable figures attending this week’s World Majlis include Mohamed Nasheed, former President of the Maldives; Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; and Khalid Abuleif, Chief Negotiator for Climate Agreements, Ministry of Energy, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Portugal to take part in a week of dedicated events

Portugal will take part in multiple events throughout the week, with Portuguese speakers sharing ideas, case studies and potential solutions to the biggest environmental issues.

On Tuesday morning, 5 October, Andreia Carreiro – former Regional Director for Energy of the Azorean Government and Energy Advisor to the Deputy Minister and Secretary of State for Energy – will give her input on “Transforming Energy in Small Island Developing States”.  This Expo-led event will bring together key stakeholders who have championed the clean energy transition. Besides Portugal, participants include Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Chile, Costa Rica, Italy and New Zealand.

In the afternoon of the same day, the focus will shift to “Powering communities with clean energy (and easy financing)”, a panel discussion focusing on rural communities gaining access to clean, affordable and reliable energy. The line-up of speakers includes Portugal’s Vivian Vendeirinho, Founder & CEO of RVE.SOL – a social entrepreneurship using renewable technology to accelerate development and empower businesses in rural Africa.

On October 7, Portugal’s Secretary of State for the Environment, Inês Costa, will take part in a World Majlis on “Earth 2.0: Reengineering Planet Earth”. The Expo event, co-curated with Maldives, will bring together diverse leaders, visionaries and changemakers to answer the following questions: How can we improve life in a warmer world, where droughts and heatwaves are becoming the norm? As we develop technology to alter the biosphere via climate manipulation, UV screening, terraforming, and more, what are the ethics and economics of altering our biosphere?