Introduction and Background

Under the Paris Agreement, every country is responsible for developing both a near-term nationally determined contribution (NDC) and a long-term Low-Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) with the engagement of governments at all levels and among all relevant actors. To support the preparation of NDCs and LEDS that embody state-of-the-art technical understanding, the Low-Emissions Solutions Conference (LESC) was launched successfully at COP22 in Marrakech in 2016. In September 2017, the LESC held a sister event during Climate Week in New York focused on deep decarbonization pathways. During the event, practitioners and world-renowned experts presented the latest developments in national strategic planning, demand-side solutions and battery storage, renewable energy penetration, and the status of new alternative energy options that may be the key to transitioning to a low-emission future. While this event had a distinct academic flavor, it remained true to the original concept in bringing cities, academia, business and policy-makers together for an in-depth discussion on technical solutions and their applications.

LESC now returns to COP, creating a space for in-depth dialogue with policy-makers. We recognize the scale of the challenge in implementing ambitious NDCs, but also the need to take action at the city, local, and project level. As such, the theme of this LESC is “Implementation at Scale”. We will bring together global leaders who are taking bold action. Spotlight presentations will facilitate rich dialogue on what is still needed and how public-private partnerships can support the common objectives between nations, cities, business, and academia. The outcomes of this event will be made available to the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action High Level Roundtable on Innovation on 14 November.

Note that this event has been designed in a unique way to allow all guests to contribute in dialogue.