Announcement of Program Schedule Ahead of "ICEF2024" to Be Held October 9-10 for Discussion of "Innovation," Key to Solving Climate Change

- Introducing Featured Sessions by World Leaders in Industry, Academia and Government -

The Annual Meeting of the Innovation for Cool Earth Forum (ICEF), which is sponsored by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), has been held every year since 2014 as an international conference where the world’s leaders in industry, academia and government come together under one roof to promote "innovation," the key to solving global warming. This year’s event is the 11th in the series.

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At this year’s 11th Annual Meeting of the ICEF, the three segments "Plenary Sessions," "Technology Sessions," and "Special Sessions" will be held under the main theme of "How to Live within the Planetary Boundaries through Green Innovation." Here the organizers will introduce the featured sessions, and hope everyone will attend.

Forum overview: https://www.icef.go.jp/

Program overview (tentative)

At this year’s ICEF conference, participants will discuss a wide range of challenges, including Planetary Boundaries, Food and Agriculture, Hydrogen Readiness, and Sustainable Marine Transport, based on a shared recognition that "Diversity is the origin of innovation," with a focus on the innovations necessary to move ahead toward achievement of carbon neutrality, even as the world continues to confront a variety of other difficulties.

The program and speakers will be announced as they become available. For details, please check the official website: https://www.icef.go.jp/jp/program/

The program and speakers may be added or changed.

Keynote Sessions

- Johan Fredrik Rockstrom (Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research; Professor, Institute of Earth and Environmental Science at Potsdam University; Professor, Water Systems and Global Sustainability, University of Stockholm)

In 2009, "planetary boundaries" was proposed by Prof. Rockstrom and others as a concept that defines the "safe operating space" within which humanity can live and its limits.

- Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah (Chairman, Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah International Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development; Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar)

Qatar is planning to expand its LNG production capacity to 142 million tons in 2030, and has announced that it will also begin operation of the world’s largest ammonia production plant in 2026.

- Helle Kristoffersen (Member of Executive Committee, President Asia, TotalEnergies)

TotalEnergies is a global integrated energy company that produces and markets various types of energy, including petroleum, biofuels, natural gas, green gas, renewables, and electric power, and has announced scenarios that could occur in three energy markets in 2050.

- SADAMORI Keisuke (Director, Energy Markets and Security, International Energy Agency)

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the global gas market is entering a new phase, as the world gradually extricates itself from an energy crisis that has had serious effects on both supply and demand. It has also been shown that the role of low-emission gases such as hydrogen is more important for achieving climate goals.

Plenary Session

"Planetary Boundaries and the Energy Transition"

In light of the most recent updates on planetary boundaries, this session aims to evaluate the current condition of the planet, identify existing challenges, and deliberate on the requisite policies and innovations to construct a sustainable future.

https://www.icef.go.jp/program/#pl1

"Innovative Finance"

This session will explore innovative financing methods for emerging markets, green innovation, and decarbonization, including strategies for financing and linking finance to innovation. Participants will also scrutinize the financial risks and opportunities engendered by biodiversity.

https://www.icef.go.jp/program/#pl2

Technology Session

"Climate Stabilization Technologies"

In this session, attendees will discuss the perspectives of current geoengineering technologies centering on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), solutions for promoting their introduction, and the international framework.

https://www.icef.go.jp/program/#ts1

"Hydrogen Readiness"

The session will discuss the potential of the low-carbon hydrogen to realize net zero society and its challenges to achieve hydrogen readiness.

https://www.icef.go.jp/program/#ts2

"Food and Agriculture"

In this session, participants will discuss the current issues of food systems in the food, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector, and deliberate on measures to mitigate these issues, strategies for appropriate food security, and economic efficiency towards rapid transformation for sustainable development and climate change response in this sector.

https://www.icef.go.jp/program/#ts3

"Future of Nuclear Energy"

In this session, participants will discuss the approaches taken by businesses toward the commercialization of advanced reactors and various applications, and the challenges accompanying their deployment.

https://www.icef.go.jp/program/#ts4

"Sustainable Marine Transport"

In this session, attendees will learn the latest sustainable marine technologies and policies from experts working on these issues and discuss the developments, policies, and investments that need to be accelerated to make marine transport sustainable. They will also discuss the adverse impact of banning heavy fuel oil (HFO), the present main fuel in maritime transport, on global warming.

https://www.icef.go.jp/program/#ts5

Special Session

"ICEF Roadmap Project: Artificial Intelligence for Climate Change Mitigation 2.0"

In this session, co-authors of the "Artificial Intelligence for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap 2.0" will present their draft roadmap and explore key questions related to the use of AI for decarbonization in the years ahead.

https://www.icef.go.jp/program/#ss1

"Special Dialogue on Net-Zero"

At this session, Vaclav Smil, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the University of Manitoba and a Member of the ICEF Steering Committee, will take the stage. Prof. Smil has been engaged in academic research in the fields of energy, environmental change, technological innovation and public policy for many years, and was selected as one of the "Top 100 Global Thinkers" by Foreign Policy magazine in 2010. This session will feature a special dialogue between Prof. Smil and Mr. Jarand Rystad, CEO of the analysis and consulting company Rystad Energy.

https://www.icef.go.jp/program/#ss2

"Young Innovators"

This session will bring together young and mid-career innovators from around the world, who have an abundance of vitality, for a dialogue with Members of the ICEF Steering Committee who have played key roles in promoting the clean energy revolution and innovation. This session will focus on the diversity, richness, depth and impact of innovations led by specialists from the younger generation in a wide range of scientific fields, and will include a discussion of the socioeconomic synergies between the clean energy revolution and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainability Development.