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Plenary session 1: One Shared Planet – Many Good Lives
There are many ideas and measures of what it means to live a good life - from feelings of contentment with local economic opportunities to the ability to provide nutritious meals for your family, and connecting with culture and meaning. But, what is the cost to the planet for attaining this good life? In a time of climatic and ecological change, do we need to rethink how we achieve a good life to balance our needs with those of the Earth? Join our speakers [will add names once confirmed] to explore the exciting and evolving possibilities of living a good life within the planetary boundaries, where sustainability is about synchrony with nature, not sacrifice, and suffering. Find inspiration as we share different concepts of the good life and pathways we can take now to ensure a good life for future generations.
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Moderator: Entrepreneur & Former Journalist Moderator Entrepreneur & Former Journalist Denise Wall
Climate change as we know it is exacerbated by human activities since the industrial age. The impacts therefrom are being experienced across the globe from melting glaciers to sea level rise, ocean acidification, global warming and changing precipitation patterns. These are affecting biodiversity and peoples across various ecosystems and continents respectively. Populations living on the frontlines of vulnerable ecosystems and communities such as Indigenous peoples, coastal populations, Pastoralists in Sub-Saharan Africa, among others are some of the most impacted. The Global Indigenous Youth Summit on Climate Change (GIYSCC) which debuted in 2023 on the 9th of August (World Indigenous Peoples Day) facilitates conversations and knowledge sharing led by, for and among youths who are Indigenous (we are inclusive in the use of ‘youths’ and ‘Indigenous’) serving as a bridge between knowledge systems that have existed since pre-industrial times to future generations. In this plenary session, the conversations will expand to discuss the specific challenges and adaptation or resilience measures that have been adopted and being adopted by Indigenous peoples and youths across various regions/continents of the world. Further, plenary speakers from Africa, the Arctic, South America, Asia and so on will contribute to the session. There will be discussions on how due to anthropogenic issues of colonization and climate change, Indigenous people are losing traditional foods and lifeways, connectedness to lands and waters, and more which are impacting wellbeing and health significantly, beyond only the bio-physical sphere. Also, sustainability measures being practiced and/or which can be facilitated or adopted across these contexts will be discussed. The session provides a platform to make visible Indigenous peoples and youth voices, embolden conversations around climate action and elicit discourses into the GIYSCC 2024 and beyond.
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Questions about energy lie at the heart of efforts to achieve a sustainability transformation worldwide. The “Powering the World” plenary session will look at this critical issue by using a mixed, engaging format. In the first part, all participants will engage in an interactive policy simulation exercise. In the second part, invited experts as panelists will build on the simulation results, and bring insights into the key challenges of harmonizing rapid green transition with providing access to affordable energy worldwide.
The policy simulation will transport participants into the middle of the near-future energy conflict situation. They will explore the research-based future stories revealing contested demands between accelerating green transition and the resistance stemming from its potential tradeoffs such as energy poverty, economic stagnation of some regions, and environmental degradation due to increased mineral mining. In their roles as policymakers, participants will negotiate and co-create new policies to achieve climate neutrality without leaving anyone behind. The immersive character of this experience aims to stimulate imagination: “It felt real. I had to remind myself that it was just a simulation,” recalled one person who had gone through the simulation. The simulation invokes emotions, encourages learning and knowledge sharing, and motivates collaborative action.
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Traditional Finnish Zither music by Ida Elina and reflections on the week.
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