Press Release

World’s largest online climate conference announced to Mark 50th Anniversary of World’s First Earth Day

April 14, 2020

Over 100 speakers from five continents will participate in Earth Day Week. The world’s largest online climate conference ever held. Tune in Daily from 20 to 25 April: Leading Voices from Sachs to Robins and Figueres to Thiaw. Partners behind the conference have a total social media reach of over 85 million followers and include key representatives of business; the United Nations; governments; academia and scientific think-tanks; entrepreneurs; social media platforms; artists; campaigners and civil society.

Stockholm/Washington DC, 14 April 2020–Today marks the six-day countdown to what is shaping up to the be the biggest climate conference of 2020. In just six days around 100 of the world’s key experts ‘meet’ to fast forward the creative solutions needed to build a better future and avert the biggest crisis facing humanity.

The event, organized by the social network ‘We Don’t Have Time’ in collaboration with lead partners Exponential Roadmap and Earth Day Network, will be live streamed as part of the 50th anniversary events marking Earth Day 2020.

Other partners and guests include key representatives of business; the United Nations; the UK government; academia and scientific think-tanks; entrepreneurs; social media platform Twitter; artists; campaigners and civil society.

Ingmar Rentzhog, founder of We Don’t Have Time which is based in Stockholm, Sweden, said: “The current pandemic of Corona Virus has harmed lives, livelihoods and economies”.

“It has also triggered the postponement of the crucial UK-hosted, UN climate conference, where climate action was meant to rise to the next level towards meeting the landmark Paris Agreement,” he said.

“The world must clearly lift the threat of the current pandemic, but we cannot lose sight of the even bigger crisis facing our planet and its people. When the global economy restarts, it must do so with a clear and urgent direction towards a low carbon future,” said Mr Rentzhog.

“Our conference aims to support the 50th anniversary of Earth Day but more—to inspire everyone to get the climate job done at speed and at scale,” he added.

Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network, said: “We are delighted to be working together with We Don’t Have Time on this conference spotlighting the amazing solutions and inordinate opportunities to fast forward a climate safe future”.

 “The Corona Virus has dramatically changed the way of all us will be marking Earth Day 2020,” she said.

“Together, and with hundreds of millions of people around the globe we are making it clear to leaders that people everywhere are behind ambitious action and the answers to the climate crisis are here and ready to be deployed,” said Ms Rogers.

The Earth Day Week ‘No Fly Conference’, in which delegates will meet over the internet via the We Don’t Haven Time studios in Stockholm and Washington DC, will run from Monday the 20th of April to Friday 24 April with a Climate Hackathon on Saturday 25th April.

The public, drawn from an estimated 100 countries, will be able to watch and interact with the daily conference from the comfort of their homes or workplaces by registering on the event web site.

The around 100 guests, addressing topics ranging from climate finance and food and agriculture to the circular economy and consumption, big ideas and local government, include such leading experts as:-

  • Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University and Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
  • Nick Robins, Professor in Practice at the Grantham Institute and former co-director of the UN Environment’s Inquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Financial System
  • Christiana Figueres, founder of Global Optimism and former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
  • Denis Hayes, coordinator of the first Earth Day; environmental advocate and President of the Bullitt Foundation
  • Nigel Topping, UK Climate Champion and former CEO of We Mean Business
  • Crystal Chissell, Vice President Operations and Engagement, Project Drawdown
  • Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, UN Convention to Combat Desertification

An array of young entrepreneurs and sustainable business leaders are also taking part including: –

  • Jona Christians of electric car company Sono Motors; Ole Kristian Sivertsen of land restoration firm Desert Control; Eva Karlsson of Houdini Sportswear; Jack Bobo of Futurity and Therese Lundstedt of Urbangreen 

Campaigners and civil society guests include: –

  • James Collis of Citizens’ Climate Europe; Margaret Klein Salamon of The Climate Mobilization; Khadija Khokhar of Zero Hour DC; Orsola de Castro of Fashion Revolution and Yanna Badet of Climate Reality Project

Academics include: –

  • Prof Will Steffen of the Australian National University; Benjamin Santer of Lawrence Livermore Laboratories and Professor Lesley Hughes of Macquarie University

Partners:

  • 2022 Initative Foundation, A Sustainable Tomorrow, Afrigod, Below2C, Berlin School of Sustainable Future, UN Climate Change Conference 2020, Brittish Embassy Stockholm, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Clarion Sign Hotel, Climate + Capital Media, Climate Collective Pune, Climate Reality Europe, Climate Students, Climate-KIC, Climeon, Desert Control, Earth Day Network, Earth Day Switch, Eaton, Ekobanken, Entrepreneurs Without Borders, Exponential Roadmap,Feiy, Findec, Föräldravrålet, Foresight, FundedByMe, Global Utmaning, Goodwings, Grandpa Electric, Hack for Future, Houdini Sportswear, Klimatriksdagen, Mariestads Kommun, Medveten Konsumtion, Mission 1.5, Noah Advisors, Organoclick, Power Circle, Project Drawdown, Refurbed, Signify, SIWI, SPP, Stiftelsen Byggekologi, Surge, Svensk Sigill, Talenteco, Telia, The Juice Media, The Years Project, Top Tier Impact, Tve, Twitter, UNDP, Urbangreen, VINCIT, We Don’t Have Time, We Mean Business, Connect4Climate, Worldbank

Notes to Editors

For the full program of the ‘We Don’t Have Time’ Earth Day Week Climate Conference including the full list of speakers and supporters; details of how to watch and get involved and other information, please go to www.wedonthavetime.org/earthday

A video preview of the We Don’t Have Time Earth Day week conference can be seen at https://youtu.be/pgYCbV63ZFs

For More Information including media interviews of the organizers or guests, please contact;

  • Nick Nuttall, Strategic International Communications Director Earth Day 2020, on [email protected] Mobile: +491602111102