The France-Latvia Dialogue on sustainability and climate change

Following Latvia’s signing of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992, Latvia has since committed to implement a series of international commitments to mitigate global climate change. Latvia also contributed to and signed the Paris Agreement adopted on December 12, 2015, which aims to limit the increase in the average global temperature well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with a threshold target of 1.5°C. The objective of these international agreements is to prevent human activities from irreversibly impacting the climate and other planetary systems, whose sustainability boundaries are currently exceeded.

Despite this alarming context, according to a study conducted by the Latvian Nature Conservation Foundation in 2023, the part of the Latvian population who agrees to the assertion that climate change is a real and global problem is decreasing. Two years ago, it was 60%, while currently, it has dropped to 36%.

In order to raise awareness and to share science-based information related to climate change and sustainability issues, the Embassy of France in Latvia and the French Institute of Latvia have partnered with the University of Latvia to organize the public panel discussion “The France-Latvia Dialogue on sustainability and climate change.”

15.04.2024 | de 15h15 à 17h30

Discussion

University of Latvia, House of Science, Jelgavas 3, auditorium Alfa

With various sectors and stakeholders in Latvian society this roundtable will bring together French and Latvian experts from various sectors - academia, NGOs, businesses, local authorities (cities), Ministry of Climate and Energy - not only to present the current state of knowledge on climate change but also to share concrete solutions and best practices in adaptation and/or mitigation in various sectors to address these important challenges. This important dialogue will thus create space for discussions on the challenges our societies are facing in the context of climate change within a necessary global sustainability framework.

REGISTRATIONS
PROGRAM

Event in English

SPEAKERS

Sophie Szopa

Sophie Szopa is an atmospheric chemist at the "Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement". She uses numerical models to study how chemistry intervenes in the modification of the atmospheric composition and how this affects climate and air quality. For the IPCC report assessing the physical basis of climate change (AR6-WGI, published in 2021), she coordinated a chapter on short-lived chemical compounds acting on the climate. She participated in the drafting of the Summary for decision-makers of this report and its approval by governments as well as the synthesis report of the 6th IPCC assessment published in March 2023.

Yann Françoise

27 years serving to cities for tackling climate change.
Yann FRANÇOISE is Deputy head of Climate and Ecological Transition Directorate, Head of the climate department at City of Paris. Since 2004, he has been led Paris Climate Action strategies gathering commitments and actions of all Paris’ community, from citizens to companies. This department has developed different tools and plans for reducing Paris’ carbon footprint and adapting Paris face to climate change issues. UNFCCC awarded in 2021 the Paris Climate Action. In 2021, he published “Paris face to climate change” a survey on Paris climate change vulnerability. In 2022, with IOM, he coordinated a survey about “climate migrations and Paris, risk and opportunities”. He represents the city of Paris at technical level at Global Covenant, C40, and other international organizations. He is member of national steering committee for French GHG inventory audit, member of the board of National Carbon database, or member of IG3IS steering committee. He is co-author of Summary for Urban Policymakers of IPCC reports (SR1.5 & AR6).

Robert Vautard

Robert Vautard is a senior climate scientist at the National Centre for Scientific Research at Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace in Paris. He leads the IPSL institute which coordinates all climate research teams in the Paris region. He was the coordinating lead author of the AR6 WGI Chapter 12 on “Climate change information for regional impact and for risk assessment” delivered in August 2021. He has published over 230 peer-reviewed research articles with a range of results on extreme events and their attribution to climate change, on regional climate modelling, and impacts on climate change in a few economic sectors. He is also developing climate services within IPSL with the goal of transferring knowledge and data to decision-makers. He is currently leading a H2020 European project designed to benefit from the new developments in artificial intelligence for attribution and projections of climate and weather extremes. He is also leading several projects linking climate change and the energy sector. (source : ipcc.ch )

Laura Treimane

Laura Treimane is the Sustainable Projects Manager at the Bank of Latvia and a member of the association "Zero Waste Latvia". Laura Treimane is an environmental expert focusing on systematic solutions for mitigating climate, environmental, and nature-related crises. Additionally, Laura is a European Climate Pact ambassador.

Jānis Brizga

Jānis Brizga is a leading researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences at the University of Latvia and the chairman of the board of the association "Green Freedom". He works on issues related to sustainable development, sustainable consumption management, and environmentally friendly lifestyles. He is a member of the SCORAI-Europe (Sustainable Consumption Research Network) board and the Bankwatch Network executive committee.

Vineta Kleinberga

Vineta Kleinberga is a doctoral student, researcher, and lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Rīga Stradiņš University. Vineta Kleinberga's research interests are related to the process of European Union integration, as well as the interaction between policy-making, strategic communication, and public perception.

MODERATEUR

Xavier Landes

Xavier Landes is associate professor at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga. His current research focuses on climate engineering and the challenges it presents. His book Engineering and Governing the Climate will be released on April 16, followed by another book in French in 2024.

This public conference is part of the 20th anniversary of Latvia's membership in the European Union events