Many events featuring landscape architects at COP28 in Dubai will be livestreamed via the UN Climate Change website or YouTube. Recordings will also be available.
ASLA is sending two delegates to COP28, and eight virtual delegates will join online. This is the second year ASLA has been an NGO observer to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP) process.
Landscape architect delegates will make the case for maximizing nature-based solutions through design.
ASLA delegates attending:
- Torey Carter-Conneen, CEO, American Society of Landscape Architects
- Pamela Conrad, ASLA, LEED AP, Founder, Climate Positive Design; Senior Fellow, Architecture 2030; Faculty Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Design; Vice Chair, Climate and Biodiversity Group Working Group, International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA)
Additional landscape architect and landscape architecture educator delegates:
- Kotchakorn Voraakhom, International ASLA, Founder, Landprocess; Chair, Climate and Biodiversity Group Working Group, IFLA; Faculty Design Critic, Harvard Graduate School of Design; Visiting Fellow, University of Pennsylvania.
- Kongjian Yu, FASLA, Founder, Turenscape, and Professor and Dean, College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Peking University, and winner of the 2023 Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize.
- Catherine Seavitt, FASLA, Professor and Chair, Landscape Architecture, University of Pennsylvania
And learn more about the eight ASLA virtual delegates joining online.
Events featuring landscape architect delegates at COP28:
Finance, Data, and Capacity Building: Which Accelerator Frameworks to Build Water-Smart Cities?
Tuesday, December 5
12.30 AM EST – 2:00 AM EST / 9.30 AM -11:00 AM GST
Water Pavilion, Blue Zone
Livestream
This discussion will explore “opportunities for cities to overcome barriers to the implementation of water-smart systems to fast-track adaptions to climate change and rapid urbanization.”
Speakers:
- Emrah Engindeniz, UN-Habitat
- Dieter Rothenberger, Urban Water Catalyst Initiative
- Sabine Stuiver, co-founder of Hydraloop
- Hon. Elizabeth Naa Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey, Lord Mayor of Accra, Chief Executive, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana
- Kotchakorn Voraakhom, International ASLA
Enhancing Urban Water Resilience through Nature-based Solutions in Public Places
Tuesday, December 5
6.30 AM EST – 8:00 AM EST / 3:30 PM -5:00 PM GST
UN-Habitat
Water Pavilion, Blue Zone
This workshop focuses on “empowering local stakeholders to enhance urban water resilience through nature-based solutions in public space.” The goal is to “combine insights from local experiences and existing methodologies and toolkits.”
Co-Moderators:
- Pamela Conrad, ASLA
- Kotchakorn Voraakhom, International ASLA
Driving Higher Education for Global Action
Tuesday, December 5
5.30 AM EST – 6.30 AM EST / 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM GST
Thailand Pavilion, Blue Zone
Livestream; Meeting ID: 845 1635 5789; Pass code: 300886
“Students are demanding it. Our world needs it. How is higher education responding to changing curriculum that addresses climate change? What are new methods and techniques for pedagogy, and how should it evolve? Which approaches can be translated for all parts of the world?”
Speakers:
- Pamela Conrad, ASLA
- Beth Martin, Washington University in St. Louis
- Harleen Marwah, University of Pennsylvania
- Dr. Pisut Painmanakul, Chula Engineering
- Kotchakorn Voraakhom, International ASLA
Nature-Base Solutions and Climate Finance Mechanisms
Wednesday, December 6
7.00 AM – 9.00 AM EST / 4:00PM – 5:00 PM GST
Thailand Pavilion, Blue Zone
Livestream; Meeting ID: 845 1635 5789; Pass code: 300886
“Cities in the Global South are continuously growing, and all strive to enhance adaptation and nature-based solutions. One obstacle is the lack of financial incentives for implementation. Experts from all sectors will highlight how public and private-sector leadership can mobilize action and re-direct financial flows towards nature and climate.”
Speakers:
- Eugenie Birch, University of Pennsylvania
- Torey Carter-Conneen CEO, ASLA
- Mauricio Rodas Ecuadorian lawyer, social policy consultant and politician
- Kotchakorn Vorraakhom, International ASLA
- Anna Wellenstein, Sustainable Development Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, World Bank
Scaling Up Nature-Based Solutions in Urban Environments
Wednesday, December 6
4.15 AM – 5.15 AM EST / 1:15 PM – 2:15 PM GST
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Pavilion, Blue Zone
Hosted with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
Livestream
“Cities are an overlooked but critical opportunity to deploy nature-based solutions. Urban infrastructure built with nature supports biodiversity, builds resilience, and accelerates carbon mitigation.”
Speakers:
- Torey Carter-Conneen, CEO, American Society of Landscape Architects
- Pamela Conrad, ASLA
- Kotchakorn Voraakhom, International ASLA
- Claudia Robles, Presidential Advisor & Former First Lady, Costa Rica
- Lisa Richmond, Senior Fellow, Architecture 2030
Nature-based Solutions and the Built Environment: Designing for Resilience, Drawdown and Biodiversity
Friday, December 8
7.45 AM – 9.15 AM EST / 4.45 PM – 6.15 PM GST
Official COP28 Side Event, SE Room 9, Blue Zone
“Nature-based infrastructure solutions support resilience, equity, public health, and biodiversity, and accelerate carbon mitigation. Designing with nature can help global communities reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and protect and conserve 30 percent of ecosystems by 2030.”
Speakers:
- Torey Carter-Conneen, CEO, American Society of Landscape Architects
- Pamela Conrad, ASLA
- Dr. Siddharth Narayan, Assistant Professor, Integrated Coastal Programs, Eastern Carolina University
- Dr. Sandeep Sengupta, Global Coordinator for Climate Change, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- Kotchakorn Voraakhom, International ASLA
- Moderator: Lisa Richmond, Senior Fellow, Architecture 2030
Investing in Nature
Saturday, December 9
2:00 AM – 3:00 AM EST / 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM GST
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Pavilion, Blue Zone
“Nature plays a critical role in providing valuable resources and services that underpin and support sustainable development and the well-being of people and the planet. Well-functioning and diverse ecosystems regulate the Earth’s climate, build resilience to the impacts of climate change, and enhance the sustainable management of water and land. Forests, wetlands, coral reefs can effectively provide infrastructure functions while delivering additional climate and biodiversity co-benefits.
To achieve the goals and targets of the Kunming – Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, both increasing nature-positive financial flows and reducing nature-negative flows will be needed. International financial institutions play a key role in closing the $700 billion annual global biodiversity finance gap and helping countries meet their commitments.”
This high-level side event will “bring together representatives from international financial institutions, governments, the private sector, think tanks, and academia to discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with scaling up nature-positive and biodiversity financing.”
Speaker:
- Kongjian Yu, FASLA
Accelerating Finance for Nature-based Solutions: Unlocking Opportunities for Sustainable Development
Saturday, December 9
5:30 AM – 6:45 AM EST / 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM GST
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Pavilion, Blue Zone
Co-hosted by the French Development Agency (AFD) and The International Development Finance Club (IDFC)
Livestream
“Despite increasing global interest in nature-based solutions, lack of financing remains a major barrier to implementing these solutions at scale. This event will bring together development partners and government officials at the ministerial level alongside IUCN to discuss and launch initiatives that could potentially accelerate financing for nature-based solutions to implement plans at national and sub-national levels.”
Keynote speaker:
- Kongjian Yu, FASLA
Innovative Governance for Flood and Drought Risk Management
Sunday, December 10
1:00 AM EST – 2:00 AM EST / 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM GST
Thailand Pavilion, Blue Zone
Livestream; Meeting ID: 845 1635 5789; Pass code: 300886
“Rising sea levels, more extreme storms, and increased drought risk are impacting people now. Societies have long struggled to prepare for and respond to floods and droughts — two hydrological extremes that can happen to the same country at the same time. Better management of water resources can help reduce climate change risks and adapt to its impacts.
While climate change is compounding many challenges, it also presents an unprecedented opportunity. We have a chance to leverage these investments towards green, resilient, and inclusive development that reduces rather than further exacerbates our societies’ vulnerability to climate risks.”
Speakers:
- Allison Lassiter, University of Pennsylvania
- Simon Richter, University of Pennsylvania
- Jennifer Sarah, Global Director, Climate Change Group at World Bank
- Kotchakorn Voraakhom, International ASLA
Water as Leverage for Worldwide Urban Resilience: Through Multilevel Climate Action
Sunday, December 10
4:00 AM EST – 5:00 AM EST / 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM GST
Multilevel Action and Urbanization Pavilion, UN-Habitat
Livestream
This session will bring together “cities, towns, regions, and representatives from the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) constituency organizations” and individuals and groups dedicated to supporting local action in achieving Paris Climate Agreement goals.
Speakers:
- Amgad Elmahdi, Senior Water Expert, Green Climate Fund
- Meike van Ginneken, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, The Netherlands
- Mark Harbers, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, The Netherlands
- Asok Kumar, Director General, National Mission Clean Ganga, India NMCG
- Michal Mlynár, Deputy Executive Director, UN-Habitat
- Susana Muhamad, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Colombia
- Amit Prothi, Director General, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)
- Susan Kihika, the Governor, Nakuru County Government, Kenya
- Kotchchakorn Voraarkhom, International ASLA