Research and innovation: a central role in fighting climate change

It closed with the participation of over 760 researchers (from over 80 UK and Italian universities) and 2,000 students, Climate Exp0, the conference organized by COP26 Universities Network and RUS – Network of Universities for Sustainable Development, which took place from May 17 to 21 in telematic mode.

The meeting, which anticipates the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to be jointly hosted by the UK and Italy in Glasgow next November, was an opportunity for the researchers who took part, to share their latest findings on climate change. This is a fundamental contribution to the commitment of the British and Italian governments to ensure that this year’s COP26 will be the Conference of the Parties capable of concretely defining how to achieve the “zero-emissions” objective,through an ongoing commitment to global cooperation and collaboration.

However, the goal of Climate Exp0 and COP26 is also to go beyond achieving zero net climate-changing gas emissions. For this reason, researchers aim to define a plan to protect the environment from the impacts of global warming while building a more just and sustainable society.

The event, which focused on the issues of biodiversity and adaptation and the financial implications of the zero emissions target, saw the participation of three ministers of the current government: Roberto Cingolani (Ecological Transition), Enrico Giovannini (Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility) and Maria Cristina Messa (University and Research) and the intervention of several representatives of the British government including the President of COP26 Alok Sharma.