POLITICIANS and scientists from around the world will gather in Edinburgh later this year for a four-day TED summit to discuss solutions to climate change.
The Countdown Summit aims to build a better future by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and work towards reaching net-zero by 2050.
TED and Future Stewards launched the Countdown initiative with a virtual event in October, with appearances by people including Pope Francis, the Duke of Cambridge, former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres, and US environmentalist Al Gore.
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The summit will take place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) from October 12-15 this year, ahead of the COP26 UN climate talks in Glasgow the following month.
The Edinburgh event will see politicians, business leaders, policy makers, scientists, indigenous leaders, artists, philanthropists, youth activists and others gather for talks and collaboration – subject to any health and safety guidance in place at the time.
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Marshall Dallas, EICC chief executive, said: “This is such an important initiative for the world, including for Scotland. In a year when COP26 is also being hosted in Glasgow, the world’s attention will be on our country.
“Countdown is centred around driving global positive change, which matches up with our own vision at the EICC – to create an environment which inspires ideas that change the world.”
The EICC has hosted TED conferences on four previous occasions. The line-up of speakers at the Countdown Summit will be announced in September.
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