Net Zero Festival launch: In pictures
The final countdown to the Net Zero Festival 2021 has officially begun.
After a long 18 months spent in various stages of Covid-19-driven lockdown, hundreds of leading lights of the green economy were finally able to once again meet face-to-face at yesterday’s official launch event for the Net Zero Festival, which took place at London’s Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
Overlooking the Thames, the event kicked off with an illuminating keynote speech from Pete Betts, the UK government’s former chief climate negotiator, who took the audience through the key issues, challenges, and opportunities surrounding a monumentally important two months for global climate action ahead of COP26. That was shortly followed by a fascinating discussion chaired by BusinessGreen’s James Murray, with WWF UK’s CEO Tanya Steele, the CBI’s head of energy and climate change Tania Kumar, and Climate Change Committee CEO Chris Stark all offering compelling arguments as to why far more ambitious policy, investment, and civil society climate action is urgently required.
The event – a selection of photos from which can be viewed above – marked the start of the final countdown to the second annual Net Zero Festival, which kicks off in less than three weeks.
There is still time to sign up for the virtual, three-day event, which will see a host of top speakers and thousands of delegates coming together to discuss the immense challenges and opportunities arising from the net zero transition. The three day broadcast is set to be hosted by BusinessGreen editor James Murray alongside top broadcast journalists Gavin Esler and Lucy Siegle.
Confirmed speakers for the event include former Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd, leading US climate scientist Michael E. Mann, Schroders CEO Peter Harrison, Solar Impulse chairman and solar aviation pioneer Bertand Piccard, and many, many more.
They will be joined by numerous top green business experts, such as Lanzatech CEO Jennifer Holmgren, CDP CEO Paul Simpson, and former Marks and Spencer’s sustainable business director Mike Barry, in addition to fringe events and digital content from a raft of partners, including Schroders, ENGIE, SNC Lavalin, Bank of America, GSK, Kingspan, Boston Consulting Group, the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Carbon Tracker, Aldersgate Group, and many more.
Interested parties can secure their tickets for the Net Zero Festival here.
