Global Sustainability Strategy Forum 2019

From Knowledge to Action: Recommendations to Advance the Transformation Towards Sustainability

The first meeting of the project Global Sustainability Strategy Forum (GSSF), organised by the IASS and Arizona State University, and sponsored by the Volkswagen Foundation, brought together fifteen renowned experts in the field of sustainable development from around the world, among them GCF chairperson Carlo Jaeger. The scientists gathered in Potsdam for one week to discuss the state of play and the need for action to support the implementation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals around the world. Their deliberations have resulted in new insights and recommendations to improve policymaking for sustainable development.

For more information please visit IASS‘ news entry here.

For audio-visual impressions of the Forum there is a short video available on youtube.

 

 

GCF contributed to OECD Report: Responding to Rising Seas

Researchers from GCF (Adaptation and Social Learning research process) contributed to a recent OECD report “Responding to Rising Seas OECD Country Approaches to Tackling Coastal Risks”, including leading a chapter analysing the future costs of sea-level rise and adaptation measure in the 21st century. The report reviews how OECD countries can use their national adaptation planning processes to respond to this challenge and examines how countries approach shared costs and responsibilities for coastal risk management and how this encourages or hinders risk-reduction behaviour by households, businesses and different levels of government. The report further outlines policy tools that national governments can use to encourage an efficient, effective and equitable response to ongoing coastal change. It is informed by new analysis on the future costs of sea-level rise, and the main findings from four case studies (Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom).

Here are the links to the Report and coastal chapter.

Beyond the Gap – How Countries Can Afford the Infrastructure They Need while Protecting the Planet

Researchers from GCF (Adaptation and Social Learning research process) contributed to a recent World Bank report on global infrastructure investments. They provided the chapter in coastal protection infrastructure needs under different socio-economic and climate scenarios. Failure to secure the appropriate financial tools, institutions, and governance mechanisms to ensure maintenance – and thus continuous protection over time – would increase risk and could result in catastrophic failures. Absent a firm commitment to reliable maintenance, a combination of nature-based protection, land-use planning, and retreat should be favored.

The report can be found here.

GCF’s Decision Theater in the media II

Short film on GCF’s Mobile Decision Theater event @ HKW, 28 November 2018

IASS, as the coordination office of the Kopernikus Project Energy Transition Navigation System (ENavi // more here), has launched a short film on GCF’s activities in the context of the Forum’s Mobile Decision Theater event held at Haus der Kulturen der Welt on 28 November 2018.

[For more information on the event go here]

See the full short film here:

GCF’s Decision Theater in the media

 

Tagesspiegel author Susanne Ehlerding gives a thoughtful insight on what climate models can and cannot do, and how the Decision Theater of GCF contributes to developing models interactively between scientists and stakeholders so that models can serve as practically useful guidance aids.

Read the full article here

Recommendations for integrating the financial sector into the German Climate Action Plan

Finance plays a key role in successfully achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement (Article 2.1.c: aligning financial flows with the Paris Agreement).
In 2018, the European Commission launched a comprehensive sustainability agenda for the financial sector, which needs to be implemented both at EU and Member State level in such a way that it is geared to the requirements of achieving climate and sustainability goals. The German Climate Action Plan (Klimaschutzplan 2050) has not yet addressed this new development. Read more

The Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) launches new Digital Access Index

New York and Brussels, 17 July 2018 – Access to digital connectivity and services is directly related to improvements in healthcare, education quality, fight to hunger and other major global challenges. This correlation has been proved, for the first time, in a comprehensive statistical analysis by Accenture Strategy for GeSI, published today in the pioneering report “Enabling the Global Goals”.

The report, presented at the 3rd SDG Business Forum in New York, also launched the Digital Access Index (DAI), a new holistic indicator to measure access to connectivity, technology, and digital solutions.

SDGs: a pioneering measure for the positive impact of digital

Accenture Strategy’s research for GeSI was able to demonstrate, through large datasets, that digital access has a strongly positive correlation with 11 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These include: no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, innovation and infrastructure, sustainable communities, justice and strong institutions.

In this context, the report was able to go beyond simple statistical correlations and find early indications of causation. This is the case, for example, with reducing neonatal mortality. The analysis found that a 5% increase in digital access has the potential to save 2 babies for every 1000 births, which equals to a 7.4% reduction in mortality. This is mainly thanks to better health information and remote diagnostics.

DAI: an index to help organisations improve

In order to make analysis and follow-up possible, GeSI and Accenture have developed the Digital Access Index. The index is a new, unique tool to measure all the main aspects of digital: connectivity (including infrastructure, use, and affordability), technologies, and digital solutions.

Thanks to the Index, the ICT industry will be able to target progress areas and check against results. The report identified three main action areas for the industry: scaling positive impacts, flipping the negative impacts, and innovating for all the 17 SDGs.

“This report shares new, compelling evidence that the digital sector is positively linked to achieving the SDGs” said Luis Neves, GeSI’s Managing Director. “GeSI has been working to raise awareness of the enabling potential of digital technologies for over a decade. With this report, we reiterate our commitment to steering the impact of digital solutions on the SDGs, and we look forward to engaging with partners to support the achievement of the Goals by 2030”.

The report can be accessed here: www.digitalaccessindex-sdg.gesi.org

 

About GeSI

The Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) is a strategic partnership of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector committed to creating and promoting digital technologies and practices that foster economic, environmental and social sustainability. Formed in 2001, GeSI’s vision is a sustainable world through responsible, ICT-enabled transformation. GeSI fosters global and open cooperation, informs the public of its members’ voluntary actions to improve their sustainability performance, and promotes technologies that foster sustainable development. GeSI enjoys a diverse and global membership, representing around 30 of the world’s leading ICT companies and partners with over 30 global business and international organizations such as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the World Resources Forum Association (WRFA), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), the Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP), The Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), the Global Climate Forum (GCF), the World Green Building Council (WGBC), the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), and the International Energy Agency (IEA) – as well as a range of international stakeholders committed to ICT sustainability objectives to share and develop ideas, launch joint initiatives, and collaborate on a broad range of sustainability projects. These partnerships help shape GeSI’s global vision regarding the evolution of the ICT sector, and how it can best meet the challenges of sustainable development.
For more information, see www.gesi.org.

Media inquiries: Luis Neves, Managing Director – luis.neves@gesi.org

GCF @ Second Conference on Financial Networks and Sustainability

From 17-19 January 2018 the University of Zurich welcomed practitioners and scientists to the 2nd FINEXUS Conference on Financial Networks and Sustainability „Closing the Gaps Between Finance and Sustainability supported by the EU project DOLFINS  and by the Institute for New Economic Thinking.
In several sessions, various members of GCF were actively discussing pressing questions on finance and sustainability. Videos from all sessions are now available on the FINEXUS Center Youtube Channel.

Read more

Positions for a PhD student and a student assistant available

There are two positions available at GCF: one PhD student in economics of sea-level rise and coastal disasters and one student assistant (10 hours per week) to support the development and application of the DIVA model, especially in the context of small island states.

See job opportunities.

An Open Invitation to Participate in the GREEN-WIN Survey

A guiding element of the GREEN WIN Project is the Global Dialogue, which aims to produce shared policy narratives about how to implement win-win solutions to support climate action within the framework of sustainable development.  We have held two Global Dialogue workshops. The participants came from across the world and from civil society, business, banks, academia and government. In the second workshop, invited participants and GREEN WIN project members presented and discussed win-win solutions. These presentations have been collated into four narratives. Read more