COP29 Side Event: Showcasing Subnational and Private Sector Solutions to Achieve Equity, Efficiency, and Clean Energy Goals

This event took place Nov. 19 at 15:00 / 3 PM AZT

A recording will be available on the UNFCCC YouTube page.

White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory gives keynote remarks.

At the recently concluded COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, GCC partnered with the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, The Climate Registry, and U.S. Green Building Council to present a lineup of distinguished speakers during an official COP29 Side Event entitled, "Showcasing Subnational and Private Sector Solutions to Achieve Equity, Efficiency, and Clean Energy Goals." Public and private sector leaders highlighted ongoing initiatives driving clean energy investment, tackling emissions, and improving public health. White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory provided keynote remarks giving a federal perspective on public-private partnerships and actions that are driving clean energy deployment nationwide. 

State and local leaders from California, Texas, and Washington highlighted actions and policies driving clean energy investment in their communities. They discussed the challenge of addressing the immediate needs of their constituents while advancing essential climate action and shared strategies for fostering collaboration. Additionally, private sector leaders shared case studies of strategies that successfully engage communities and build on the momentum of state and federal policies and investments.

Executive Director Kate Zyla gives welcome remarks.

"State and local governments are once again at the forefront of climate policy action, and partnerships with industry leaders can lead to efforts that are more than the sum of their parts," said GCC Executive Director Kate Zyla, who gave opening remarks at the event.

"Forums like these hone in on current impacts of climate change and solutions being implemented in real-time. Communities and industry won’t stop innovating practical solutions that protect us from harms like severe weather and power outages,” said GCC Mitigation Director Melissa Birchard, who also represented GCC at COP29. "By bringing states, localities, and industry together on an international stage, we elevate opportunities to learn from each other and build solutions together."

Learn more about the COP29 Side Event. A full agenda is available below. A recording will be available soon.

Above (L-R): Paul Lau, Sacramento Municipal Utility District; Jessica Olson, Topsoe; Liz Beardsley, USGBC; Olga Faktorovich, Abt Global; Rama Dunayevitch, Autodesk

Above (L-R): Commissioner Brigid Shea, Travis County, Texas; Davina Hurt, Bay Area Air Quality Management District & California Air Resources Board; Amy Holm, TCR; Senator Joe Nguyen, Washington State Senate; Sam Assefa, California Governor’s Office of Land Use & Innovation.

Images courtesy of BCSE.

Event Agenda

Achieving nationally-determined contributions requires subnational action across sectors while centering equity and meaningfully engaging communities. Don’t miss out on this impactful conversation as part of the COP29 program as public and private sector leaders discuss ways to partner to implement scalable solutions for CO2 reduction, resilience, and health benefits in the built and natural environment. Attendees will learn about the role that community engagement and public policy tools play in building frameworks for economic development and sustaining climate action progress.

Opening remarks

• Laura Tierney, Business Council for Sustainable Energy
• Kate Zyla, Georgetown Climate Center

Keynote remarks by Chair Brenda Mallory, White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)

Panel 1: Investing, Deploying, and Implementation

• Moderator: Elizabeth Beardsley, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
• Rama Dunayevitch, Autodesk
• Olga Faktorovich, Abt Global
• Paul Lau, Sacramento Municipal Utility District
• Jessica Olson, Topsoe

Panel 2: Policy, Regulation, and Planning

• Moderator: Amy Holm, The Climate Registry
• Samuel Assefa, California Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation
• Davina Hurt, Bay Area Air Quality Management District & California Air Resources Board
• Joe Nguyen, Washington State Senator
• Commissioner Brigid Shea, Travis County, Texas