Climate Change Leadership Porto Summit 2019: be inspired

The important work the city of Porto, in line with the mandate of Mayor Rui Moreira, and the Wine Industry have been developing regarding environmental issues led to the first Climate Change Leadership Porto Summit 2018, on 6th July, which included the signing of Porto Protocol. This was a public statement of "a commitment for the future" and a "call for action", as stated by Adrian Bridge, from Taylor's Port and Porto representative at the Advanced Leadership Foundation.

Climate change is a major problem facing the planet today, and despite the fact some people believe that climate change is a hoax, people around the world cannot stop discussing it. We certainly don't, in Porto. Last year, the Climate Change Leadership Porto Summit 2018 positioned the city of Porto as a world centre for the proposal of solutions to counter climate change.

Porto hosted the first phase of a global movement aimed at debating climate change, finding environmental solutions and tackling the negative impact of that change. The kick off happened on July 6th, with the First Climate Change Leadership Conference, which was held at Coliseu Porto Ageas, in Porto, jointly organised by Porto City Hall, in line with Porto policy regarding sustainability, as Mayor Rui Moreira established for his mandate.

The event was marked by the opening of a debate forum to discuss positive measures impacting companies and the environment, and by the introduction of the Porto Protocol, a volunteer corporate and institutional movement aimed at developing a more sustainable environmental policy. Approximately 2200 people were in attendance.

As Taylor's put it "Climate Change is the greatest challenge the wine industry faces today. We are all placed to tackle this threat" and "concerted and urgent action is needed on the part of all industry players and of those who supply and work with them. It is a common problem, which requires a communal response".

"This is not the end", Mayor Rui Moreira announced on 6th July 2018, at the Press Conference that followed the Summit. "The Porto Protocol second event is scheduled for March 2019", added Adrien Bridge, Taylor's CEO.

"We are establishing a network of contributors", President of the ACP (Porto Commercial Association) Nuno Botelho affirmed.
Save the date in your agenda: March 2019. 

Well, this event is just around the corner, and the Venue is the Alfândega Congress Centre (Porto Customs Congress Centre), which was granted the Business Destination Travel Award for Europe's Best Meetings & Conference Centre in 2014 and 2015.

Climate change plunders our world on a daily basis and the consequences are disastrous. However, as former President Barack Obama stated, during his keynote address, last year in Porto, in the context of the first Climate Change Leadership Porto Summit 2018:

"Many countries are recognising the importance of the Paris Accord and I am sure that the US will eventually engage. I believe that if we commit to the structure of the Paris Accord, in 10 or 15 years the climate change problem is in the right track. I want to state that collaboration also means different approaches; no matter what we do, temperatures will continue rising. It is like speeding our car towards the cliff, even if we break, it will take some time to stop the car. What this means is that there is a period of adaptation. Also very important is that the industries that are being affected by climate change speak up and make their losses public; the general public has an abstract view, a day-to-day basis of this issue. We need to share information on this problem".

The Climate Change Leadership Porto Summit 2019 welcomes first line speakers. Nobel Prize Laureate and former Vice-President of the USA, Al Gore is the keynote speaker of this major event in Porto, on 7th march 2019, and will deliver a lecture on the theme "Solutions for the Wine Industry - Porto protocol - a case for optimism on climate change".

Al Gore is also the cofounder and chairman of Generation Investment Management, and the founder and chairman of The Climate Reality Project, a non-profit devoted to solving the climate crisis.

This conference brings together experts on the matter, namely João Matos Fernandes, Portuguese Minister of the Environment and Energy Transition, Afroz Shah, LLM (Gold Medallist), Counsel, and Bombay High Court. Champion of Earth, United Nations. Indian of the year, Public Service, CNN News 18, Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International, heading one of the world's largest and most respected conservation organizations and Kaj Török, Chief Reputation Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer at MAX Burgers, the world´s first climate-positive burgers.

Summit tickets will be available soon.

Click here for more information.