Today: 500 leading business people and students meet to discuss how climate risks can be turned into climate opportunities - according to a new report, it will change how we do business profoundly.
2018 was the year of accelerating climate risks, 2019 has to be the year of accelerating climate solutions. That is the ambition behind a unique event Go Explorer Day 2019 taking place today in The European Green Capital of 2019, Oslo. The event, hosted by BI Norwegian Business School, DNV GL, the UN Global Compact and Sustainia, gathers 400 business leaders and 100 students to discuss how climate risks can be turned into climate opportunities and how academia can take initiatives to develop the education of tomorrow.
As an important part of the conference, Sustainia and DNV GL with support from the UN Global Compact, launch the Global Opportunity Explorer 2019 Insights. With many inspiring examples of new climate solutions, it confirms why climate change can be the biggest market disruptor ever and creates business opportunities worth trillions of dollars for the frontrunning companies. This is documented in in-depth analyses of the biggest climate risks and opportunities of the six business sectors most affected by climate change.
These perspectives will be the center of the discussion amongst the high-level Norwegian businesses, political representatives and academic leaders gathered at today’s event.
Lise Kingo CEO & Executive Director of UN Global Compact and keynote speaker at the conference says:
“We will need far more corporate leadership to help reverse the implications of climate change. So let us work together to transform business models and spark breakthrough innovation. The Global Opportunity Explorer 2019 Insights proves that there is great potential in turning climate risks into new business opportunities, which can, in turn, drive the Sustainable Development Goals."
Her views are supported by outstanding global leaders interviewed in the Global Opportunity Explorer 2019 Insights. “CEO’s must be activists, greedy for sustainability and innovative” -to quote one of the leaders featured in the report. They include Unilever’s former CEO Paul Polman, the Pulitzer Prize winner, author and journalist Thomas Friedman, one of the world’s most influential climate thought leaders Connie Hedegaard, the Swiss aviation innovator Bertrand Piccard and others. They all expect business leaders to be the climate game changers.
Rasmus Schjødt Pedersen, CEO and Senior Partner, of Sustainia says:
“At Sustainia we will do our part to make 2019 a year of climate solutions. The launch in Oslo is the first stop on a world tour, where we present and discuss climate solutions with local partners“.
Next stops on the world tour are Shiga, Kyoto and Tokyo in Japan later this month followed by Nanjing, Quangzhou and Schenzhen in China.
Remi Eriksen, Group President and CEO, DNV GL says:
“The risks facing the world are so large and complex that they cannot be tackled alone. The underlying logic of the Global Opportunity Explorer is to connect ideas with backers, and to create new networks in pursuit of sustainable solutions.”
Further information:
Ulrike Haugen, DNV GL +47 409 24 389 ulrike.haugen@dnvgl.com
Rasmus Schjødt Pedersen, Sustainia +45 22 95 03 04 rsp@sustainia.me
Per Erik Johannessen, BI Norwegian Business School +47 464 10 094 per.erik.johannessen@bi.no
Facts:
Go Explorer Day 2019 taking place the 6th of February at the BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo. The event is hosted by BI Norwegian Business School, DNV GL, the UN Global Compact and Sustainia. It gathers 400 business leaders and 100 students to discuss how climate risks can be turned into climate opportunities.
Read more about Go Explorer Day 2019 and see the full list of participants: https://www.bi.edu/about-bi/calendar/2019/february/goexplorerday2019/
Global Opportunity Explorer 2019 Insights is published on the 6th of February. It is published by Sustainia and DNV GL with support from the UN Global Compact. With a selection of solutions across six sectors directly exposed to climate change, the Global Opportunity Explorer 2019 Insights demonstrates that even when the risks are great, the opportunities are greater still. Global Opportunity Explorer 2019 Insights is a testament to the ongoing activities of the Global Opportunity Explorer, which is now the world’s leading open ecosystem for sustainable solutions. The platform is the first of its kind that identifies, verifies, and presents high-quality solutions that exist in the market.
Explore, read and download the Global Opportunity Explorer 2019 Insights: https://goexplorer.org/goe2019/