COP26

COP26 is the annual UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties. This year COP is being held under the presidency of the UK and will be hosted in Glasgow, from 31st October – 12th November. This is the largest event of its type that the UK has ever hosted. The climate talks will bring together heads of state, climate experts and campaigners to agree coordinated action to tackle climate change. The COP26 summit will focus on:

• Reviewing global progress towards limiting climate change
• Reviewing the progress made regarding the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol.

As COP26 Presidency, the UK is committed to working with all countries and joining forces with civil society, companies and people on the frontline of climate change to inspire action ahead of COP26. Further information about the COP26 goals can be found here.

COP26 is particularly important as it will be the first occasion that countries will submit updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement, which was created in 2015. These NDCs are detailed commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

COP26 Zero Carbon Tour

To highlight the importance of COP26, a UK-wide tour using a 100% electric “Carbon Battle Bus” set out on its journey in London on the 9^th June, to travel around the UK until it reaches Glasgow on 31^st October 2021. The aim of the tour is to raise awareness of carbon reduction and showcase examples of sustainable action from across the country in the build up to the COP26 event in Glasgow.

The Carbon Battle Bus, run by The Planet Mark, has been making stops on its journey through the UK to invite local innovators and solution creators to showcase their efforts. Throughout the journey, ‘carbon stories’ have been collected to further motivate and inspire other across the UK to take similar action in reducing carbon and increasing sustainability.

In the Midlands, the Carbon Battle Bus stopped to visit:

• Worcester
• Birmingham
• Nottingham
• Lincoln

COP26 Regional Roadshows

As well as the COP Zero Carbon Tour, a number of regional events will also be taking place across the UK during the fortnight of COP. Throughout the fortnight of the COP26 event in Glasgow, the Midlands Energy Hub, will be supporting four Midlands organisations who are hosting Regional Roadshows to mirror the activity and themes happening at COP26. These Regional Roadshows in the Midlands are supported by BEIS, through the Midlands Energy Hubs. These Regional Road Shows will provide the opportunity to showcase local activity and projects to the public, delegations, and investors. They will also help to motive and inspire people to join the race to net-zero and cut their carbon emissions.

The Regional Roadshows will provide:

• A range of events that thematically link to COP26 in Glasgow.
• Local support for promotional activities such as press and communications.
• Development of case studies for inclusion in the national collection

In the Midlands, Regional Roadshows will be taking place in Nottinghamshire, Wolverhampton, Coventry, and across the Marches.

Nottinghamshire

Registrations are now open to join us online at COP26 Regional Roadshow in the East Midlands.

Focusing on the themes of Climate, Innovation and Investment the event will be hosted by Nottinghamshire’s 5G partnership at the new Digital Innovation Centre in the Worksop Turbine building; powered by energy generated from the wind turbine at the centre.

In November, the UK hosts COP26 in Glasgow, bringing together world leaders to tackle climate change. To build momentum in support of the event we’re asking you to help us find #OneStepGreener Climate Leaders – the community groups, individuals, business and others that are driving change and finding meaningful ways of delivering positive environmental action.

The online conference event will showcase partnerships, achievements, opportunities and potential across the East Midlands that are leading the way toward UK net zero and climate ambitions at scale. The full day’s programme will centre on digital innovation and green development, including keynote speakers and panel discussion from high profile partners across the region, addressing the key themes, challenges and successes for the climate agenda.

This free event comes with a limited platform capacity, so to secure your spot, please register now. For those that can’t make the online conference on November 11^th, be sure to register for updates.

For further information including ticket registration, please visit:

COP26 Regional Roadshow East Midlands Tickets, Thu 11 Nov 2021 at 08:30 | Eventbrite

Coventry

Coventry be hosting a Transport Expo running on the 10 and 11^th November at Coventry University Technology Park.

There will be four events in total, the morning session is 9am -12 noon and afternoon session 12 noon - 4 pm.

The delegates will break in to three smaller groups and rotate between areas for a tour of the National Transport Design Centre (NTDC) and Centre for Advanced Low Carbon Propulsion Systems (C-ALPs) and the micro mobility taster session.

There’ll also be a chance to network and engage with other delegates back at the Techno Centre, then, an opportunity to complete the event with a ‘Tour and talk’ about the future of public transport on a tour of the city on an electric bus.

Find out more about the Coventry Regional Roadshow here

WMCA

The Partners in the West Midlands are holding a one-day event that will showcase how some of the strengths of the region, including Future Mobility, Energy Systems, and Place & the Built Environment, will be driving and innovating net zero solutions. The event will focus on three key areas:

• Policy levers – how the public sector can stimulate the green marketplace and integrate citizen participation.
• Industry innovation – showcasing some of the solutions that local businesses are already bringing to the marketplace.
• Future-scoping – hearing from academia and R&D on the potential future technologies and

The day will comprise of symposia, workshops, roundtable, keynote, and expo. The intention is to close the day with a session presented by students from the 6 universities across the region to inspire and challenge the audience for tangible future action, and to provide a focus on the intrinsic importance of the right skills to deliver net zero.

Eventbrite Link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cop26-west-midlands-regional-roadshow-tickets-187816342737?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

The Marches

The Marches programme of events is taking a different approach and supporting the local councils to run a number of smaller events aimed at highlighting the themes of COP26 to wider community audiences.

• In Shropshire, an EV demonstrator day entitled: ‘Shropshire Goes Electric!’ will take place at Shrewsbury Town Football Club on Sunday 7th November.
• In Telford & Wrekin students will build on an educational arts project with The British Ironwork Centre to develop an Ocean Trail of model fish to highlight the importance of protecting our oceans and marine life from single-use plastic.
• In Herefordshire, the Beryl Bike hire scheme will be free for the whole period of COP to encourage more sustainable transport within the city.
• There will also be a number of local walks, talks and other promotional events throughout the fortnight to engage with a wide ranging audience.

Regional Roadshows from across the UK

As well as the 4 roadshows that are being promoted in the Midlands, the other 4 Energy Hubs are also promoting similar events. For more information about these events:

North West Hub – https://localenergynw.org/files/2021-10/cop-nw-events-programme.pdf

North East Hub – https://www.neyenergyhub.com/regional-green-zones/

South West Hub – https://www.swenergyhub.org.uk/cop26-regional-roadshows/

South East Hub – www.cop26regionalroadshows-gseeh.org.uk

Wales Hub - https://freshwater.eventscase.com/EN/COPCymru21

Northern Ireland - https://www.nilga.org/about/climate-action