ESG Editorial #56: Verimpact Makes the Front Page, Climate Action, and S3E Charge Fast-Track Acceleration

Hello from a dusty and hot Abu Dhabi! The last two weeks have been eventful and action-packed for our teams. With the UNGA and #NYCClimateWeek unfolding, there are lots of news and stories to share, including on Verimpact making the front page on Η ΝΑΥΤΕΜΠΟΡΙΚΗ | NAFTEMPORIKI, the leading business paper in Greece with an analysis of the Draghi Report vis-a-vis #CorporateSustainability and all ESG- and climate-related regulations on the EU front.

To read the Naftemporiki article in Greek, press here.

To read the article in English, visit here.

The Earthshot Prize Finalists Revealed

In other news, the #EarthshotPrize extraordinary 2024 Finalists have been announced. These inspiring, global innovators are changing the game in ways that will impact all of us! In November this year, five of these Finalists will receive a ￡1 million prize to scale their groundbreaking climate and environmental solutions. All of this year’s Finalists will receive technical support and access to The Earthshot Prize’s network of global partners to amplify their solutions and impact. The Institute for Sustainable Development - EPLO has been an Official Nominator for the Prize for four years and has submitted more than 20 nominations! Congratulations to our 2024 Nominees for being part of the most prestigious environmental award! SilviPar Manolis Plionis National Observatory of Athens Polygreen eco Kelp Blue SamudraOceans Alisha Fredriksson Seabound

Find out more > https://bit.ly/EarthshotFinalists24

South3E - S3E Charge Fast-Track Acceleration Launch!

We’re excited to announce the launch of the third and final #OpenCall for S3E Charge, a 4-week accelerator program for Deep Tech startups in Southern Europe. Up to 30 selected startups will receive expert mentoring and training to develop investment-ready business plans and access new funding opportunities. Applications are open until October 11 at 17:00 CET. Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/eMv4UxYb. S3E Charge is an #EUfunded initiative led by the Institute for Sustainable Development at EPLO with support from EISMEA.

You can find information about the call in Greek here => https://greenbusiness.gr/featured-1/28112/to-institouto-gia-ti-viosimi-anaptyxi-tou-eplo-meso-tou-south3e-xekina-to-s3e-charge-fast-track-acceleration-gia-startups-vathias-technologias-sti-notia-evropi/

World Utilities Congress in Abu Dhabi

I was honored to participate in the World Utilities Congress , held in Abu Dhabi last week! The conference provided a premier global platform uniting energy leaders, policymakers, innovators, and professionals from across the power and water utilities value chain. As climate change is putting pressure on commodities, utilities worldwide work to deliver secure, sustainable, and affordable energy - the event was a gateway to understanding the trends and challenges shaping the industry’s future. And I had a chance to meet the Crown Price of Abu Dhabi and HE Dr. Sultan Al Jaber!

Coastal Pro Consortium Meeting

It was so much fun participating in the #CoastalPro consortium meeting and promote the CoastalPro Hackathon with many participating start-ups from the Canarias promoting sustainable blue solutions!

The EU-funded projected focuses on upskilling and reskilling students, entrepreneurs and professionals in sustainable tourism practices. As partners, our team at the Institute for Sustainable Development - EPLO is responsible for the #Environment and #Sustainability parts of the course and we are looking forward to welcoming you to the online training in October. If you are a school, a VET institution or a Higher Education entity, do let us know as there are opportunities to get affiliated with this program! #BlueEconomy #BlueSkills

BioMed-AI Summer School in Lisbon

There has been so much buzz about the BioMed-AI Summer School in Lisbon online this year that I feel obliged to say a warm thank you again for all those who made this such a huge success! Olga Tzortzatou - Nanopoulou Zenejra Dorezi Timos Sellis Zisis Kozlakidis Danai Spentzou Dimitrios Ioannidis Marina Deligianni Paraskevi Papadopoulou Manuela Michetti Válter R Fonseca

To read more abou the School here!

On Climate Action, Risk and Finance

Great article by HE Razan Al Mubarak , President of IUCN , and my dear friend Bogolo Joy Kenewendo on Project Syndicate on financing the green transition. Essentially, they argue that more financing is needed towards nature conservation and restoration. The tools to identify such projects and nature-positive solutions do exist as do tools that provide nature-related financial risk assessments. In nature-related projects, the notions of justness and inclusiveness are very important as indigenous people and local communities have to be involved to increase their resilience to climate change, but also to continue being stewards of our planet. Two such projects and solutions are our 2024 The Earthshot Prize nominations, Kelp Blue and SilviPar, that include local communities in their operations, giving back and providing communities with sustainable livelihoods while contributing to nature conservation and restoration. Our Verimpact platform has the capacity to both identify and measure risk in such projects and solutions - one of our impactful projects has been the ecosystems value analysis of the #SelvagensIslands with Fórum Oceano that was presented at #UNOC in Lisbon in 2022!

Till we meet next week, do drop me a line with what you have been up to!