Madrid prepares for the Climate Summit

The XXV Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to be held in Madrid from December 2 to 13, and in which up to 20,000 visitors are expected, will generate approximately 65,000 tons of CO2 that will be offset with certified emission reductions that will be acquired by the Government of Spain.

As explained by sources from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition to Europa Press, the Government will be able to make a definitive estimate once the numbers of participation, logistics or activities are closed, and once the calculation is final the emissions will be compensated through certified reductions that the Government will acquire and that will come from projects promoted by development banks.

In addition, they point out that the Government plans to cancel more reductions than necessary to compensate for the environmental impact of the Climate Summit “comfortably” and that there is a net benefit for the climate.

The Summit will be held at IFEMA, where it will occupy seven pavilions totaling more than 100,000 square meters, to which are added another 13,000 square meters of convention centers and meeting rooms.

The distribution of the space will be divided into the blue zone, where the negotiations and formal events of the United Nations will take place, although Spain will have its own room there during the two weeks to hold events aimed at the international public.

On the other hand, the green zone will be dedicated to the participation of civil society and will have 3,000 square meters for civil society such as the Sectoral Action for climate, organized civil society, Youth, Innovation and Science, Chile-Spain Space and the “Agora” Public Square space.

In addition, companies will have a conference room for 150 people and beyond the fairgrounds the Castellana Verde Axis will be activated, which from Atocha to Plaza de Castilla will host different events.

The assembly of the rooms, stands and meeting areas will begin on November 17, a date on which the deadline for companies to submit proposals for specific activities will close, both in IFEMA and in the Castellana Verde Axis.

The City Council will activate the Castellana Verde Axis, which from Atocha to Plaza de Castilla will host different events to compensate for the emission of 65,000 tons of CO2

Thus, next week the organization will confirm to the applicants the date, space and time available for each activity proposal. Companies with buildings in the Castellana will also be able to organize activities at their headquarters to increase the visibility of the Summit and their commitment to the fight against climate change.

For the proper functioning of the two long weeks of climate activity in the capital of Spain, at the moment the Madrid City Council has 400 volunteers in the first call, selected through the platform ‘Volunteers for Madrid’, in coordination with the Volunteer Platform of Spain, and with the Federation of Volunteer Associations of Madrid.

In addition to these first 400 volunteers, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will provide 200 more volunteers. They were already trained for the COP25 in Santiago de Chile, before the country’s resignation to host the international climate event. Thus, the 200 volunteers will move to Madrid, where five coordinators of United Nations Volunteers with experience in international appointments will also participate.

Volunteers will receive training from Madrid on November 25 and 27 and it is still possible to participate through the form on the Madrid Volunteer website and their telephone number (900 777 888) until November 20.

The executive president of Ifema, Clemente González Soler, recently explained to Europa Press that the aspect of the space is “all defined” and that now it is working “against the clock” since the organization wants the installation to be practically ready by November 25.

The goal is to have everything advanced on the 27th (10 days) and finish the last auctions for the start of the summit. “It’s about doing 18 days what you do in 18 months,” González Soler said.

“We are going to achieve it because Ifema has a very good technical and human team, which is excited and eager to achieve this challenge of hosting this World Summit in Madrid, which will be a success for the country,” he said.

At this point, he pointed out that the issue of installation in such a short period is the “challenge” of this event, since the attendance does not entail problems for Ifema since it welcomed 253,000 people in the last edition of Fitur and hosts events with more than 100,000 people.

Source: The Vanguard