Nikos Mantzaris participated in the 1st meeting of ATHENS COP – an initiative to discuss and comment on the 29th International Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP29).
He highlighted the negative trajectory the planet is on due to the increase in global greenhouse gas emissions, as reflected in the latest Emissions Gap Report.
However, he stressed that continued efforts to mitigate climate change are far from futile, as the future of humanity depends on minimizing the rise of global temperature. He also mentioned some news that leave considerable room for hope, such as the huge progress of renewable energy in China, which is by far the world’s largest polluter, and the recently announced plan by the UK to achieve a near-zero carbon footprint in electricity production by 2035.
The other speakers at this first meeting, which took place on Friday 15 November, during the first week of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, were:
- Maria Alexiou, lawyer and expert on human rights and corporate responsibility, international and European network
- Chris Vrettos, communications officer at Electra Energy and project manager at REScoop.eu
- Emmanouela Doussis, Professor of International Institutions at the University of Athens, holder of the UNESCO Chair in Climate Diplomacy
- Petros Kokkalis, secretary of the KOSMOS party and ambassador for the European Climate Pact
- Dimitris Lalas, former President of the Athens Observatory
- Konstantinos Machairas, member of Οrganization Earth.
The 1st Athens COP is co-organized by Organization Earth and Syniparxis.