Belgium - Green Week 2009 - Annual Conference on European environment policy

23 July 2009 - 26 July 2009

Green Week which
will take place in Brussels from 23-26  June 2009. It will be a major
event on climate change bringing together politicians, writers, NGO
activitists, futurologists and youth groups, artists amongst others.

 

PRESS INVITATION

What? Green Week 2009: The biggest annual conference on European
environment policy turns the spotlight this year on the multi-faceted
challenges of climate change
When? 23-26 June 2009
Where? Charlemagne Building, Brussels, Belgium
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/greenweek
A decisive year in the fight against climate change
Less than six months ahead of the Copenhagen conference where a new
global deal to combat climate change is due to be struck, Green Week
2009 will look at prospects for this historic agreement and more
broadly at what society must do to control climate change and adapt to
its impacts.
Speakers include:
José Manuel Barroso, European Commission President
Stavros Dimas, EU Commissioner for Environment
Connie Hedegaard, Danish Minister for the Environment
Andreas Carlgren, Swedish Minister for the Environment
Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change
Jeff McNeely, Chief Scientist, International Union for the
Conservation of Nature
Susan George, Social justice activist and writer
Ray Hammond, Futurologist and author
Franny Armstrong, Director of The Age of Stupid
Tony Long, Director, WWF European Policy Office
Lasse Nord, World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Richard Folland, Senior Climate Change and Energy Adviser, JPMorgan
Jaime Webb, Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity
Mika Saariaho, Deputy Director General, World Steel Institute
Wang Yi, Deputy Director-General, Institute of Policy and Management,
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Over 3,500 participants are expected from Europe and beyond,
representing a wide range of organisations including European and
multilateral institutions, national, regional and local authorities,
business and industry, environmental NGOs, research bodies and the
scientific community.
What's in it for journalists?
A wealth of potential stories from three days of high-level debate on
one of this year's biggest political issues
More than 35 separate sessions looking at the climate change challenge
from a wide variety of angles, including:
- International cooperation
- EU policies and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- The emerging EU strategy for adapting to climate change
- The implications of climate change for agriculture, water resources,
nature and biodiversity, the Arctic region, international security and
employment
- How to reduce the impact of transport
- The role of the media in changing attitudes
- Creating a carbon-neutral society by 2050
- Countering the recession through low-carbon investment
- Latest developments in carbon capture and storage and in
technologies for adapting to climate change
Events including:
- An awards ceremony for the 'best of the best' projects funded in
2008-2009 through the EU LIFE programme
- Screening of the film The Age of Stupid http://www.ageofstupid.net
- Visit to the exhibition Vegetal City http://vegetalcity.net
- A networking cocktail on cities and regions against climate change
with a presentation by the City of Stockholm, which has been chosen as
European Green Capital 2010
Interview and networking opportunities with climate policy makers and
shapers, including the 75 organisations taking part in the Green Week
exhibition