Oslo Kicks off the Year of Climate Solutions with GO Explorer Day 2019

2018 was the year of accelerating climate risks, 2019 has to be the year of accelerating climate solutions. That is the ambition behind the unique event of the Go Explorer Day 2019 which took place yesterday in Oslo. The event gathered 400 business leaders and 100 students to discuss how climate risks can be turned into climate opportunities and how academia can take initiatives to develop the education of tomorrow. 

As an important part of the conference, Sustainia and DNV GL with support from the UN Global Compact, launched the Global Opportunity Explorer 2019 Insights. With many inspiring examples of new climate solutions, it confirms why climate change can be the biggest market disruptor ever and creates business opportunities worth trillions of dollars for the frontrunning companies. This is documented in in-depth analyses of the biggest climate risks and opportunities of the six business sectors most affected by climate change. 

Lise Kingo CEO & Executive Director of UN Global Compact and keynote speaker at the conference says: “We will need far more corporate leadership to help reverse the implications of climate change. So let us work together to transform business models and spark breakthrough innovation. The Global Opportunity Explorer 2019 Insights proves that there is great potential in turning climate risks into new business opportunities, which can, in turn, drive the Sustainable Development Goals." 

Her views are supported by outstanding global leaders interviewed in the Global Opportunity Explorer 2019 Insights. “CEO’s must be activists, greedy for sustainability and innovative” -to quote one of the leaders featured in the report. They include Unilever’s former CEO Paul Polman, the Pulitzer Prize winner, author and journalist Thomas Friedman, one of the world’s most influential climate thought leaders Connie Hedegaard, the Swiss aviation innovator Bertrand Piccard and others. They all expect business leaders to be the climate game changers. 

Explore, read and download the Global Opportunity Explorer 2019 Insights: https://goexplorer.org/goe2019/