The ECUMENE 2024 Global Forum concluded its work: 730,000 viewers from 50 countries followed the sessions over three days. The event brought together 180 speakers from 36 countries.
The ECUMENE Forum became a platform for preparing Russian participants for the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will take place in Baku from 11 to 22 November.
Within the business programme, Forum experts discussed the impact of artificial intelligence on the development of “green” technologies, considered how an effective and just energy transition should proceed and why it is more difficult for some countries, and discussed the role of financial institutions in addressing climate change. Separate sessions focused on biodiversity conservation, healthy longevity and the development of gastronomic diplomacy.
Elena Borisenko, Deputy Chairwoman of the Board of Management, Bank GPB (JSC), said that science and technology are key elements of sustainable development in today’s world.
“Science and technology are a key element of sustainable development. In today’s world, technology exchange is strategically and commercially more effective than creating artificial restrictions that may increase one’s own competitiveness in the short term. Unfortunately, a number of countries and companies choose the latter path. Russia is a key advocate for barrier-free and equal access to technologies, especially in developing countries. The absence of restrictions, cooperation and collaboration will make it possible to achieve social, environmental and financial effects, which in turn will contribute to the most important goal — the well-being of people and preserving the planet for future generations,” Elena Borisenko said.
The importance of the climate agenda and Russia’s role in implementing measures to address existing challenges was also emphasized by Viacheslav Fetisov, UN Goodwill Ambassador, Chair of All-Russian Society for Nature Conservation.
“Today, Russia is actively involved in much of what is being discussed at the Forum — from poverty eradication to access to new technologies, including the construction of hydroelectric power plants. Thanks to us, many countries that needed it gained access to electricity, including nuclear energy, which is recognized as one of the greenest forms of energy. Russia is a leader in this area. It is a safe form of energy that we can share. Humanity must have access to all the technologies available today in order to stay warm, purify water and live with dignity. The issue of free access to technologies that can prevent a global catastrophe, which we are also discussing at this Forum, must also be raised at the UN,” he said.
The session “Just and Balanced Energy Transition” attracted considerable interest from both the audience and experts.
Alexey Kulapin, General Director, Russian Energy Agency (REA) of the Ministry of Energy of Russia, presented three scenarios for the development of global energy through 2050: “Business as Usual,” “Rational Technological Choice” and “Net Zero.”
“The latter is practically unfeasible, as it requires enormous financial costs — around USD 7–8 trillion a year — and technologies that do not currently exist or are still at the research stage. Based on this, we believe that the optimal scenario is ‘Rational Technological Choice.’ Under this scenario, the share of renewable energy sources in the global energy mix will increase in the future, while hydrocarbons will still remain a significant part of it,” he concluded.
Experts paid particular attention to the role of natural gas in the energy transition.
“The declaration of the previous Conference of the Parties included a provision that transitional fuels can play a role in the energy transition by ensuring security. At the same time, the concept of ‘transitional fuels’ itself was not defined. In Russia, with our deep expertise in the gas industry and significant gas reserves, we believe that gas should be recognized as a transitional fuel because its carbon footprint is significantly lower than that of other fossil fuels,” emphasized Evgeny Khilinskiy, Vice President, Bank GPB (JSC).
A broad and lively discussion also developed around the issue of saving the world’s oceans from plastic pollution. Experts acknowledged that the problem has already reached an alarming scale and that addressing it requires close cross-border cooperation and decisive, prompt action by all countries.
Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, Executive Secretary of Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC), cited current statistics showing that two thirds of the single-use plastic produced ends up in the environment. The negative trend is intensifying: up to 390 million tonnes of plastic will be produced this year, most of which will become waste.
“According to some estimates, more than 7 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced worldwide. About 10% has been properly recycled. Roughly the same amount has been incinerated. Around 20% was disposed of, but not properly. Every year, plastic kills about 100,000 marine mammals and turtles, and around 1 million birds. If people do not reduce production and consumption by at least 30%, by 2050 there will be 50 kg of plastic for every metre of coastline,” said Vladimir Moshkalo, Head of the UN Environment Programme Russia Office.
Experts have high hopes for a new UN international agreement to combat plastic pollution. However, the negotiation process has not yet reached a common position.
“The participants in the negotiation process have still not been able to produce a single document — it turned out that it can only be framework-based. National circumstances of each country must be taken into account, including waste-management issues and even extended producer responsibility,” concluded Tatyana Kuznetsova, Deputy Head, Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources Management (Rosprirodnadzor).
All sessions of the ECUMENE 2024 Forum business programme are available as recordings on the official website https://ecumeneforum.com.
About ECUMENE
The first ECUMENE Global Forum took place in Moscow in September 2021. More than 130,000 viewers from 50 countries followed the business programme, which featured more than 70 speakers from 16 countries. The audience has grown every year. In 2022, the Forum brought together 100 speakers from 22 countries and was watched by more than 300,000 viewers from 83 countries. In 2023, more than 120 experts took part in the discussions, while Forum events were watched by more than 700,000 viewers from 87 countries.
A key mission of ECUMENE is to include Russia’s position in the global agenda of sustainable development and to help shape new trends for the post-2030 period. The results of the Forum are presented annually at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP).
Gazprombank is the General Partner of the ECUMENE 2024 Global Forum. The event is held with the support of the Private Law Research Centre under the President of the Russian Federation Named After S.S. Alexeev and several United Nations institutions: the UN Environment Programme, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the UN Information Centre. MISIS University is a co-organizer.