Key Streams

A review of the latest recommendations from flagship environmental assessments and White Papers by Partners, and discussions around the required policy responses and actions by policy makers, the private sector and key stakeholders.

This stream builds on the Forum’s Extraordinary session hosted by the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) in Paris on 18-19 October 2018 and organized in cooperation with the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), the French Alliance for Environmental Research (AllEnvi) and the Group on Earth Observations.  Sessions will cover the following key tracks: Opportunities offered by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; Big Data, Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, Governance, Equity and Ethics; Financing.

By 2050, 70% of the human population will live in cities.  Innovative technologies – from E-mobility to green buildings – need to be leveraged to maximize the efficient use of natural resources and encourage environmentally sound choices by all players across all sectors. We need to alter not only the physical design and infrastructure, but also to encourage positive resourcing decisions, behavioral change and policy action.

Startups are not only transforming markets and economic growth; some are helping to save the planet. Venture capital investment in startups has surged to its highest level ever — $148 billion last year alone. More than 40 Venture Capital-backed companies achieved billion-dollar valuations and joined the unicorn club. The UN Science-Policy-Business Forum is launching a pioneering programme to identify, communicate and shed light on the contributions of this fast-growing sector. The Green Technology Startup Hub will act as an accelerator and incubator of start-up innovation for the environment as it examines the enabling policies and actions required to use such innovation to transform the world into greener and more sustainable living. It will also showcase ground-breaking innovations for the planet presented by Startups from around the world.

National pledges under the Paris Agreement will only bring a third of the reduction in emissions required by 2030 to meet the climate targets, with private sector and sub-national action not increasing at a rate that would help close this worrying gap. This session, organized in cooperation with the Global Climate Fund and Thomson Reuters Sustainability, examines means to empower and support private sector transparency and leadership to tackle climate change.

We are producing and consuming more food than ever before, with detrimental impacts on the planet’s natural systems. This stream will examine: Agricultural transformation – sustainable and climate-smart agricultural models minimizing impacts on pollution – examples from rice sector and others including livestock sector; Nutrition and healthy diets – embracing difficult questions and debates about meat versus vegetarian diets, also considering biofortification, plant health, which benefits in turn human health; Food waste – measuring and achieving food waste reduction at a global level.