The 1-hour event kickstarted by Philipp Pattberg introducing the panel. The keynote speaker Prof. Dr. Joyeeta Gupta, professor of environment and development in the global south at the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research of the University of Amsterdam and IHE Delft Institute for Water Education started with her presentation.
She highlighted that, despite the existence of numerous treaties and environmental agreements, only a few targets have been met. She further mentioned the reasons behind the treaties failure, and the debate between market-based and GDP-measured solutions versus the climate just and fair solutions that do not colonize the people and the planet.
‘We should always question: Who has to do this? Where in the world and how? And who pays for that?’’
Eszter Szedlacsek, PhD candidate at Institute of Environmental Studies at VU Amsterdam, also shared her experience from her first-ever participation in a UN international event. She highlighted the need for more dialogue between the scientific community and the practitioners. ‘’As we do need to turn agency into action, are the points of the various stakeholders are really taken into account?’’
Laura de Vries, European Climate Pact Ambassador in Netherlands, and Board member of Jonge Klimaatbeweging, shared her optimist that such smaller events make it easier for the young representatives to approach policymakers. Philipp also agreed with her view that these meetings are important, as they keep the ambition alive, and keep the attention, serving to multiple functions.
We would like to thank all speakers for bringing their perspective and insights to the event. The recording of the event is available on our YouTube channel.
Stay tuned for the next SDG Academy! More information will be announced on our website and LinkedIn.