CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE OPENS ON REUNION
(Posted 24th June 2014)
The International Climate and Energy Conference will be held in the island of Reunion between the 24th and the 26th of June 2014. Organized by the Regional Council of La Réunion, in collaboration with The Climate Group and R20 (Regions 20) congress under the theme ‘Islands and climate change: opportunities, resilience, adaptation’. For the occasion, Reunion is welcoming personalities involved in the protection of the environment lie Nicolas Hulot, Special Envoy of the President of the Republic for the protection of the planet and among many others Mélanie Laurent, actress and director of the film ‘Tomorrow’.
Ecology, protecting the planet, green growth – friendly mode of economic development of the environment – will be at the heart of the discussions at the International Climate and Energy Conference. This event is organized for the first time on an island in the Indian Ocean and is also a first for the island of Reunion. During three days, government ministers from several countries including the chief minister of Sri Lanka Region Colombo Hon. Prasanna Rantunga, representatives of the European Commission, experts from the UN, from IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency), IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and NRG4SD (Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development) will all be present during this major event. France (La Réunion, Mayotte, Guadeloupe), Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Korea, Mauritius, Seychelles, ASEAN and ten nations will take part in debates and discussions on the impacts of climate change on the environment, health and biodiversity. The program content, supported by NRG4SD and IUCN, revolves around three axes:
· policy interventions on actions taken by the participating jurisdictions,
· workshops on the themes of performance and energy innovation, and resilience to climate change,
· field visits with the integration project by solar (Akuo), the first European prototype
Stakeholders from the four corners of the globe, as well as guests engaged on these issues will present: Nicolas Hulot, Special Envoy of the President of the Republic for the protection of the planet; Mélanie Laurent, actress and director of the film Tomorrow; Francois Fortier, an expert at the United Nations; Jeffrey Skeer expert IRENA; Luc Bas for IUCN; Emmanuel Brochard DCNS and Eric Scotto for Akuo Energy among many others. Nicolas Hulot will host a public conference this Tuesday, June 24th at the old city hall of Saint-Denis on the theme ‘Meeting the Climate Challenge’.
During his visit, he will meet with environmental groups department and visit the island until his departure. He will use his presence at the meeting to present the label "certified responsible whale watching in Reunion" (O2CR), an innovative approach designed to promote best practice professional users of the sea for whale watching in La Réunion. International Climate and Energy conference aims to develop a common contribution of the islands, that is to say a partnership document, reflecting the concerns and expectations shared island territories will be presented at the UN Summit in September in New York and at COP 21 in Paris in 2015.
