Date: 3 December 2023 | Time: 10:45-11:45 AM GST | Location: The Montreal Protocol Pavilion, Blue Zone | Watch Recording

Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI), an innovative yet controversial approach to mitigating climate change. This event explored the science behind SAI, a method that suggests releasing aerosols into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight away from Earth, potentially cooling the planet. Experts in atmospheric and climate science, policy-makers and representatives of NGOs discussed the feasibility, risks, and implications of implementing such a technology. This event provided a rounded understanding of SAI, and whether it has a role in our fight against global warming.

Date: 5 December 2023 | Time: 3-4 PM GST | Location: Resilience Hub, Blue Zone | Watch Recording

Marginalized communities bear the brunt of climate impacts in cities, exacerbating urban inequity. This session delved into the strategies, solutions, and innovations that will drive equitable and climate-resilient urban futures. It featured a talk from SilverLining Executive Director Kelly Wanser on near-term climate risks impacting cities and how we might mitigate them.

Date: 5 December 2023 | Time: 6:30-8:30 PM GST | Location: Dubai

As 2023 is on track to be the warmest year on record with resultant escalating risks, stakeholders are beginning to explore climate interventions as potential means to mitigate the likelihood of, and risks associated with, overshooting the 1.5°C target. SilverLining hosted a dialogue among renowned climate scientist Piers Forster, Chair of the UK Climate Change Committee and Director of the Priestley International Centre for Climate at the University of Leeds, and climate intervention experts Sarah Doherty of the University of Washington and Kelly Wanser of SilverLining, young climate leaders, and other stakeholders, for an open, intergenerational dialogue. The discussion focused on new findings regarding the severity of the risks of near-term climate change and the realities of potential rapid climate interventions, placing the voices of young people at the center of the conversation.

Date: December 8, 2023 | Time: 11:00-12:00 PM GST | Location : Climate Live Pavilion, Blue Zone

According to the IPCC’s recent Sixth Assessment (AR6) synthesis report, we are on the way to exceeding global warming of 1.5°C by the end of the 21st century. The imperative to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels is not merely a statistic, but a safeguard against an array of catastrophic impacts. Crossing this threshold will have severe and lasting consequences for both humanity and the delicate ecosystems that sustain us. As a result of these escalating risks, stakeholders around the world are beginning to consider “climate interventions” as possible avenues for reducing the likelihood of, and risks associated with, overshooting 1.5°C. As international attention on these approaches grows, it is imperative that young people are given the opportunity to engage with scientists and policymakers to provide their perspectives and meaningfully contribute to decision-making.

The session delved into the urgency of addressing near-term climate risks to maintain the 1.5°C limit. Through panel discussion, experts, scientists, and young leaders delved deeper into the topic of climate intervention, and its particular importance for developing countries, for instance, the importance of dialogues and research on solar climate intervention in the Global South, and why youth need to be part of policies and discussions on climate intervention.

Date: 8 December 2023 | Time: 3:30-4:30 PM GST | Location: Global Climate Action Hub - Lab 1 Al Shaheen, Blue Zone | Watch Recording

Organized by SilverLining, Green Africa Youth Organisation, Sustenta Honduras, Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar, and Sustainability Week Pakistan, this event drew attention to a critical gap in equity and capabilities for responding to climate change impacts faced by developing countries—the lack of funding and technology capacity for climate impacts research—and introduced a breakthrough initiative to establish a multilateral fund to fill this gap: the Climate Research for All Fund. The event featured keynote remarks from the distinguished United Nation’s High-Level Champion for COP26, Nigel Topping.

Led by the UNFCCC High Level Champions, the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action is a framework that accelerates the scale and pace of climate action among Parties and non-Party stakeholders in all parts of the world for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. This event was held in an innovative “lab” format that encouraged active audience participation, featuring speakers with diverse perspectives on how we can improve equity in climate research to accelerate and enhance climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Learn more.

Date: 9 December 2023 | Time: 12:30-1:30 PM GST | Location: The Ghaf, Youth Hub, Green Zone

The large uncertainty in aerosol effects is one of the greatest barriers to society’s ability to project future climate. Aerosols from pollution and other sources counter some of the heat caused by greenhouse gasses, and reducing them may inadvertently intensify near-term warming. Aerosols could also have the potential to temporarily reduce climate warming to prevent catastrophic impacts from climate change while society transitions to a sustainable future. This session featured new research from James Hansen on the impact of aerosols on climate and engage with leading experts on the nuanced relationship between aerosols, Earth’s energy balance, and possible interventions to reduce climate impacts and risks. Learn more.

Date: 11 December 2023 | Time: 3:30-4:20 PM GST | Location: ILO Pavilion, Blue Zone | Watch recording

This event focused on the challenges related to large-scale, sustainable, and equitable funding to support innovative, urgently needed scientific research on climate impacts, discussed the need to enhance scientific capacity in the Global South, how the promotion of South-South and triangular cooperation may offer possible solutions to this challenge and encouraged dialogue on increased climate impact research capacity to enable more effective and timely adaptation and DRR planning.