Oxford Net-Zero and the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford
3. NbS in Net-Zero: avoiding greenwashing & supporting the SDGs
This session will start by reviewing the potential of NbS to support climate change mitigation, clarifying the scientific basis that NbS require fossil fuels to be kept in the ground. It will then directly address current criticisms that NbS are being used for greenwashing, including what the evidence for this is and how it is being done, as well as exploring how this can be avoided. Discussions will broach whether and how NbS can and should play a role in achieving net-zero and be used in offsetting schemes and, if so, how we ensure the price is high enough to avoid cascades of negative impacts on people, climate and nature. The discussion will also include the possibility of using net-zero momentum as a window of opportunity to scale up NbS projects, and discussion of insetting as an alternative to offsetting. We will ask how to ethically and sustainably bridge the divide between the public and private sectors on NbS and why we need to.
Speakers
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Convenor & Chair
Steve Smith
Executive Director, Oxford Net Zero and CO2RE
Steve's research interests lie at the intersection of climate science and policy. He has published on a range of topics including metrics for comparing emissions of different greenhouse gases, and the governance of carbon dioxide removal. He is co-developer of the Net Zero Tracker, a major global stocktake of net zero pledges. Steve is based at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford. There he directs two research programmes: Oxford Net Zero and CO2RE. He has a PhD in atmospheric physics from Imperial College London, and worked previously at the UK Climate Change Committee and in government.
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Speaker
Stephanie Roe
Global Climate Lead Scientist at WWF, Lead Author IPCC AR6 WGIII
How NbS can contribute to achieving net zero emissionsDr. Stephanie Roe is the Global Climate Lead Scientist at WWF, working to advance the science, leadership and progress on climate mitigation and adaptation, the climate and nature nexus, and nature-based solutions. She is also a Lead Author of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change Mitigation, and serves on the SBTi Scientific Advisory Group. Her research focuses on biosphere-atmosphere dynamics, climate mitigation, the role of land and nature in climate pathways, and the response of terrestrial ecosystems to climate change.
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Speaker
Pete Smith
Professor of Soils and Global Change at the University of Aberdeen
Potential and limitations of land-based NbS for atmospheric greenhouse gas removalPete Smith is Professor of Soils and Global Change at the Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Aberdeen (Scotland, UK) and Science Director of the Scottish Climate Change Centre of Expertise (ClimateXChange). His interests include climate change mitigation, soils, agriculture, food systems, ecosystem services and modelling.
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Speaker
Aline Soterroni
Research Fellow at the Nature-based Solutions Initiative
The role of NbS in Brazil’s net zero pathwaysAline Soterroni is a Research Fellow at Oxford Net Zero and the Nature-based Solutions Initiative, where she investigates the socioeconomic and ecological outcomes of different pathways to net zero. Aline is interested in understanding the timeframes and spatial scales over which restoration, protection and sustainable management of working lands can enhance carbon stocks and reduce GHG emissions whilst supporting biodiversity, human adaptation to climate change and food security.
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Speaker
Kaya Axelsson
Net Zero Policy Engagement Fellow at the University of Oxford
Avoiding greenwashing in carbon markets & The Oxford Offsetting PrinciplesKaya Axelsson is the Net Zero Policy Engagement Fellow at the University of Oxford. Kaya develops practical research on the socio-technical transition to net zero and engages widely with subnational stakeholders (companies and local governments) on their net zero strategies.
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Panellist
Sean Frisby
Deputy Head – UK International Forests Unit, BEIS
Sean is the Deputy Head – UK International Forests Unit, BEIS. He is also the UK government Deputy Director for the COP26 Presidency's World Leaders Summit: Action on Forests & Land Use event. Prior to this, he was the Head of BEIS Forests, Land Use & Carbon Markets Team
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Co-convenor
Cecile Girardin
Director-Nature Based Insetting | Technical Director-Nature Based Solutions Initiative
Cecile combines years of experience in climate change policy analysis with a background in tropical ecology and thorough understanding of forest ecosystem functioning, providing a unique multidisciplinary approach to her work. As an environmental consultant, she developed strong skills in policy analysis and data manipulation. As researcher for ten years, she developed skills in data gathering and analysis through intensive fieldwork in tropical forests. She is an alumnus of Imperial College, Environmental Resources Management Ltd., the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture UN-REDD+ team, and the Oxford Martin School.