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October 19, 2022
Each year, the presidency of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP, selects key themes for each day of the conference to elevate different aspects of international climate coordination and action. Egypt is hosting COP27 and has announced the following schedule for 2022’s thematic days.
Week 1 - Find resources about these days in our first article
Finance Day - November 9
Science Day - November 10
Youth and Future Generations Day - November 10
Decarbonization Day - November 11
Adaptation and Agriculture Day - November 12
Week 2
Gender Day - November 14
Water Day - November 14
Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) and Civil Society Day - November 15
Energy Day - November 15
Biodiversity Day - November 16
Solutions Day - November 17
We have compiled the Egyptian Presidency’s description of each day followed by relevant EESI resources to draw connections between U.S. climate policies and programs and these international priorities. This article contains the resources for Week 2 of COP27. For Week 1, click here.
If any of the terms used in the COP27 presidency text are unfamiliar, check out EESI’s abbreviated version of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Glossary of Terms to get more information.
The role of women in dealing with all aspects of the climate change challenge is central, crucial, and indispensable. Women continue to bear a disproportionate burden from the adverse impacts of climate change, and, despite some progress having been made over recent years, the gender perspective needs further work to be fully integrated into the processes of formulating and implementing policies and actions on the ground.
The Gender Day aims to bring this issue to the forefront and to provide a platform to discuss existing challenges and to share success stories from around the world with a view to increasing awareness and sharing experiences and promoting gender sensitive and responsive policies, strategies and actions. The day will shed light on women’s roles in adapting to climate change. (Text adapted from the COP27 Presidency.)
"The Most Influential Woman in Hydropower" shares former National Hydropower Association Executive Director Linda Church-Ciocci’s reflections on her career in the clean energy sector.
"How Can Computer Science Support Wildlife Conservation?" is a Q&A with a female scientist who uses machine learning to help automate time-consuming tasks in wildlife conservation research.
"Q&A: Diversifying Access to Clean Energy with Community Solar" spotlights Kristal Hansley, the first Black woman CEO in the community solar industry, and her work at the community solar company WeSolar, which is majority Black-, women-, and minority-owned.
These graphics describe the connection between the representation of women in government and the strength of a nation’s environmental policies.
This video highlights that women are disproportionately harmed by the effects of climate change but also hold the key to many adaptation and mitigation solutions.
Water is the source of life and livelihoods. Climate impacts on water and the linkages to wider, cross-cutting impacts on development and livelihoods are well documented and substantiated by credible scientific reports and analyses, including most recently by the IPCC and numerous other institutions.
Discussions at Water Day will cover all issues related to sustainable water resource management. Water Day will include the different topics of water scarcity, drought, cross-boundary cooperation, and improvement of early-warning systems. (Text adapted from the COP27 Presidency.)
"Expert Perspective - Dr. Rob Young" covers climate change threats to Charleston, South Carolina, a proposed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seawall project, and solutions to make the coastline more resilient.
"Planning and Acting for a Resilient Coastal Louisiana" discusses the benefits that wetland restoration can have for the coast and the role that wetlands play in the planning and implementation of Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan.
"Experts Discuss How to Combat Drought in the Colorado River Basin" highlights the programs in place to help ameliorate water scarcity in the western United States.
"New Data Tools May Reduce Impacts of Colorado River Basin Drought" reviews innovative ways to monitor and manage scarce water resources in the western United States.
"Senate Committee Highlights Opportunities to Advance Hydropower" discusses some of the findings of a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on hydropower that covered challenges, solutions, and funding opportunities for the hydropower industry.
Climate action requires engagement with, and contributions from, all stakeholders. Needless to say, civil society is an indispensable partner in the global effort to combat climate change. With this in mind, COP27 will hold a dedicated day to engage civil society organizations and to ensure their views and perspectives are integrated in a meaningful manner. Participants will have a platform for sharing best practices and identifying challenges, as well as for networking and developing multi-stakeholder partnership opportunities. The day will showcase the role and contribution of civil society in this area and across the board in different forms of climate action and policy response. (Text adapted from the COP27 Presidency.)
"Federal Resilience Programs: NOAA Cooperative Institutes" details how Cooperative Institutes build research partnerships that provide essential scientific research on climate change to where it is needed the most.
"Q&A: How the Savanna Institute is Helping Agroforestry Thrive in the Midwest" discusses the importance of agroforestry and how the Savanna Institute nonprofit works to grow the use of agroforestry practices through research, education, and outreach.
"‘Sentinels’ Lead Inclusive Climate Monitoring in the Arctic" discusses the work of the Indigenous Sentinels Network, which combines Western science with Indigenous knowledge and practices to conduct environmental monitoring.
"Strength in Numbers: The Power of Collaborative Conservation in Alaska and Canada" details collaborative partnerships in Alaska and Canada that connect agencies, nonprofits, academics, Tribes, and First Nations in coordinated conservation work.
"White House Tribal Nations Summit Features New Initiatives, Opportunities for Climate Action" describes opportunities for tribal nations and the federal government to cooperate on issues like accessing climate funding.
The Energy Day deals with all aspects of energy and climate change, including renewable energy and energy transformation, with a specific focus on just transition in the energy sector, and green hydrogen as a potential energy source for the future. It also includes energy efficiency and ways to manage the envisaged global just transition in energy.
Renewable energy, smart grids, energy efficiency, and energy storage are all elements of a much-needed comprehensive vision of how energy ecosystems could evolve in the near future. (Text from the COP27 Presidency.)
Energy Efficiency Means Business, part of the Agencies in Action series, covers the U.S. Department of Energy’s energy efficiency programs and how they can help deliver customer savings and sustainability benefits.
Green Hydrogen, part of the Scaling Up Innovation to Drive Down Emissions series, showcases how hydrogen produced using renewable energy can be ramped up to help decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors.
Justice40: The Path Forward for the Administration’s Environmental Justice Initiative discusses the potential of the Biden-Harris Administration's Justice40 initiative, which seeks to ensure benefits from federal environmental initiatives go to disadvantaged communities.
Modernizing the U.S. Energy System: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Path Forward shares perspectives on energy modernization in the United States and how it can help provide climate benefits.
"Green Light for Colorado’s Electric School Bus" explains how vehicle-to-grid electric school buses not only take students to school every day, but also help store excess clean power, distribute energy back to the electric grid, reduce local emissions, and provide better air quality.
"United Airlines Flies Towards Greener Skies" covers how United is investing in more efficient aircraft, sustainable aviation fuels, and carbon capture and storage facilities to get to net zero without buying offsets.
"Bolstering Resilience: Maryland County Showcases the Power of Microgrids" discusses successful microgrid adoption to help improve resilience.
"Floating a New Solution for Solar Deployment" provides details on floating solar panels, or "floatovoltaics," and how their benefits and ecological effects can make them a great renewable energy solution.
"Improving Equity by Installing Solar on Manufactured Homes" shares how energy efficiency and solar energy installations on manufactured homes can help decrease cost of living for low- and moderate-income families while lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
"NAACP Equitable Solar Policy Principles Aim to Increase Solar Adoption for Underserved Communities" details the five pillars used by the NAACP to ensure equity in solar adoption in communities of color.
"Study Highlights Ways to Narrow the Solar Equity Gap" provides details on policies and business models, like property-assessed clean energy financing, that can increase adoption of solar energy in low- to moderate-income households.
The Beneficial Electrification Toolkit provides essential information for utilities to understand and begin deploying beneficial electrification to save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Biodiversity Day deals with nature and ecosystem-based solutions. It will also allow the discussion about the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and the means to mobilize the global actions towards the challenges to halt biodiversity loss and to reduce the impacts of climate change and pollution. The discussions will cover the impacts of climate change on oceans, endangered species, coral reefs, and the sustainability of protected areas that deliver ecosystem services to humans, as well as the impacts of plastic waste on aquatic ecosystems and species, and ecosystem-based solutions and their links to climate change mitigation and adaptation. (Text adapted from the COP27 Presidency.)
Climate Consequences of Plastic, part of the Reduce and Reuse: How to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Building Materials, Plastics, and Food series, discusses the climate impacts of plastic production and potential policy solutions to address the detrimental effects of plastics.
Natural Climate Solutions: A Win-Win Solution for Our Environment and Our Economy shares information on how natural climate solutions can help mitigate climate change and stimulate the economy.
"Infrastructure Policy and Programs: Nature Based Solutions" provides key EESI resources on ways natural systems can be protected, expanded, and managed as infrastructure to provide resilience solutions.
"Federal Resilience Programs: Mission ‘Iconic Reefs’" shares details on NOAA’s collaboration with local restoration partners and other agencies to restore coral reefs and protect coastal communities.
"Federal Resilience Programs: NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program" details how federal programs can help improve reef and coastal community resilience to environmental threats.
"Federal Resilience Programs: North American Wetlands Conservation Act" details the law and the opportunities and benefits it provides to ecosystems and communities, especially in terms of building resilience.
"New Guide Helps Decision-Makers Adopt Natural Climate Solutions" discusses an online guide created by nonprofit U.S. Nature4Climate to provide resources for the successful planning and implementation of natural climate solutions, which can help mitigate climate change and protect biodiversity.
The Agriculture and Climate article series provides essential information on five sustainable agriculture practices, from biochar and composting to no-till farming, and how these can help adapt to and mitigate climate change.
Possible solutions for the broad array of climate change challenges range from holistic, cross-cutting solutions such as greening of national budgets, sustainable cities, multilevel action, and sustainable transportation to sectoral solutions like waste management, alternatives to plastic, and green buildings. More specific solutions coming from the private sector and start-ups bring creativity and innovation to the effort to deal with climate change.
Sustainable cities, green buildings, and resilient infrastructures are all part of the paradigm shift envisaged in the critical decade and beyond, with an aim to achieve a transformative implementation building on agreed deliverables under different agreements and a further ambitious pledge to reduce climate impacts and consider the role of cities in combating climate change.
Sustainable transportation is another key sector that provides direct and cross-cutting impact on climate change, pollution, quality of living, and efficiency. In this regard, it is important to highlight potentials for this sector, success stories, and available opportunities.
Solutions Day will bring together government representatives, businesses, and innovators to share their experiences and ideas to spread awareness and perhaps build future alliances and collaborations.
Bearing in mind that start-ups can bring creativity and innovation to the effort of combating climate change, Solutions Day will bring together small- and medium-scale innovators alongside established businesses, government, and financial institution representatives with the aim of sharing experiences, discussing challenges and potentially building collaborations and future alliances. (Text adapted from the COP27 Presidency.)
Autonomous Vehicles: State of the Technology and Potential Role as a Climate Solution details the current state of autonomous vehicles in the United States, their impacts, and how they can be incorporated into mass transit and urban areas.
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation at U.S. Ports provides information on the state of emissions at U.S. ports and how solutions like shore powering and truck replacement programs can help ports reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.
2022 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook discusses the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and BloombergNEF’s factbook on U.S. energy industry information and trends.
By Air, Land, and Sea: Navigating the Climate Future provides perspectives on climate mitigation, resilience, and adaptation for ports, aviation, and public transit.
Energy Efficiency Means Business, part of the Agencies in Action series, covers the U.S. Department of Energy’s energy efficiency programs and how energy efficiency programs can help deliver customer savings and sustainability benefits.
How Start-Up Accelerators Can Drive Climate Action, in the Scaling Up Innovation to Drive Down Emissions series, shares information on scaling up innovative climate solutions with private sector momentum.
"Addressing Methane Emissions Is Critical for Fighting the Climate Crisis" discusses methane emissions from fossil fuels, agriculture, and landfills, and the next steps toward reducing these emissions.
"Bolstering Resilience: Maryland County Showcases the Power of Microgrids" discusses details of successful microgrid adoption to help improve resilience.
"Cincinnati Paves the Way for Equitable, Climate-Forward City Planning" discusses the equity-oriented environment and climate plan Cincinnati, Ohio, is using to help meet emissions targets and address issues like urban heat islands.
"Extended Producer Responsibility Policies Offer a Solution to the Waste Crisis" describes how extended producer responsibility can help shift the financial and physical responsibility for environmentally damaging products and packaging back onto producers, as a way to help solve the waste crisis.
"Floating a New Solution for Solar Deployment" provides details on floating solar panels, or "floatovoltaics," and how their benefits and ecological effects can make them a great renewable solution.
"New Building Performance Standards Coalition Aims to Pick up Where Building Energy Codes Leave Off" provides perspective on the new Building Performance Standards Coalition and how it will work to lower building energy and water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
A three-part article series based on EESI’s 2022 Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum provides the perspectives of clean energy and energy efficiency leaders on key climate resources, implementation of the bipartisan infrastructure law, and clean energy workforce support.
"Q&A: Foothill Transit Team Discusses Sustainability Leadership, Federal Transportation Policy Opportunities" provides an in-depth Q&A with a Los Angeles, California, transit provider to discuss the potential for non-diesel buses.
"Solutions from Your District: Local and State Climate Action in 2021" provides a guide of EESI’s resources detailing how different states and localities are undertaking climate solutions.
The Sustainable Aviation Fuels: A Critical Emissions Mitigation Strategy Gaining Momentum article series discusses the benefits and challenges of sustainable aviation fuels, as well as federal legislation, industry commitments, and international perspectives from COP26.
"Washington State Tackles Solar Panel Waste, the Dirty Side of Clean Tech" discusses ways Washington State is using extended producer responsibility to help reduce solar panel waste.
Compiled by: Molly Brind’Amour
Top-Rated Climate Nonprofit – 4-Star Charity