Victor Kipiani, Chairman of Geocase, was invited to speak at the Pre-COP26 Conference organized by the Embassy of the United Kingdom and the Embassy of Italy in Georgia in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Georgia. 

The Pre-COP26 conference focused on commitments to, and risks and opportunities in, the fight against climate change and for environmental protection. It aimed to deepen knowledge and facilitate discussion on climate change in all its facets. Through the engagement of Georgian authorities, distinguished experts and the local diplomatic community, in addition to qualified representatives of civil society and the academic world, with a view to fostering awareness by the Georgian public about the aforementioned issues.

The conference was opened by Levan Davitashvili, Vice Prime Minister and the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.

H.E. Mark Clayton, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain to Georgia and H.E. Enrico Valvo, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to Georgia as well as Mr David Moran, the UK’s Regional COP26 Ambassador, delivered welcome remarks. 

Victor Kipiani conducted his presentation at the panel discussion entitled ‘#SecurEnvironment: Climate & Security across the Euro-Atlantic Area and Beyond’ moderated by Mr Nicola Iorio, Deputy Head of Mission, Italian Embassy in Georgia. Among the panellists also were Prof. Andrea Margelletti, Chairman of Centro Studi Internazionali (Ce.S.I.– Roma); Mr. Giorgi Chikovani, General Director of the Georgian Energy Development Fund (GEDF); Mr. Tornike Parulava, Director of Security Policy and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.

During his speech, Victor Kipiani overviewed the consequential risks and destabilizing factors of the climate change at regional and global levels. 

‘Significant changes in the weather patterns, rising temperatures, sea levels, intensifying crises etc. are just physical risks and every type of physical risk requires uniquely tailored response, but more importantly they are consequential risks which take us to domestic, political instability and disruptions. This makes our societies even more vulnerable and make them exposed to future destabilizing factors. All in all, we are witnessing decreasing domestic resilience, increasing probability of various conflicts between different stakeholders, ethnic groups, stakeholders within the society and radicalizing both national and global politics,’- he noted.

To tackle the challenges, the analyst suggested improving conceptual framework, working out the proper formula of „costs and challenges“ ensuring a proportionate balance of „rights and responsibilities“ agreeing on effective stress reassessment algorithm. 

Speaking in the context of the Black Sea region, Victor Kipiani emphasized the importance of raising public awareness and sustainability of energy infrastructure that have cross-border effects in order to help reducing risks and conflicts in the region. 

“Equally important is that addressing the climate related challenges are not only up to specialized agencies or bodies but those challenges should become a wider task at the grassroot level and for all-out nation response and preparedness. […] It is also of key importance that developed nations should share advanced capacities and knowledges with developing nations, and nations in transitions. And incentive for such openness and cooperation is very simple. Adverse consequences of the climate changes cannot be contained somewhere far from your home and extremely high interdependence and interconnectedness globally eventually makes all of us with no exception to feel and suffer all the downsides,”- stated he in the conclusion of his speech.

The event was held in the framework of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy, taking place from 31 October to 12 November 2021, in Glasgow, UK. 

Watch the recording